TH E MY THO LO GY O F A L L R A CES

VO L UME VI I I
C H I N ES E

J A P A N E SE
 V OLUME I Greek an d Ro ma n
ce
.

WILLIAM S H E RW OOD Fo x , Ph D . P r in to n Univ rsity e .

V O L UME II . Edd ic
AX E L OL Rm , P h D . .
, Unive rsx ty o f Co p e n hag e n .

V OL UME III Celti c , S lavi c

e o f Allan Sco tla nd
.

CA NON JOHN A MA CCULL O CH D D B ridg

he i e rsity P ra gu e
. .
.
, , , .

JA N MACHA L P h , D .
, Bo m an Un iv , .

VOLU m s I V . F i nn o Ugri c , S i beri a n

UN O HOL MB E RG Ph D , . .
, Un iv e rsity o f Fin l and , Hel i s n g o rs. f
V O LUME V S em i ti c
LN
.

S TE PH E N HERB E R T A GD ON M A ,
. B D . .
,
Ph D . .
, Of x o rd .

V OLUME VI . I n di an , I ra ni an
A B E R RIE DALE KE I TH , D C L d n b u rg E i h Unive rsity
A NO e i Lo u vain
. .

LB ER T J CA R Y , Ph D
. Uni v rs ty o f .

VOLU ME VII A rm eni an , Afr i can

MARDrRo s ANANIK IA N, B D K nn d y S e e ch l of Missions Hart
c ec
oo
o rd , Co n n ti u t f ,

A d e w ) Sc h L
.

ALI CE W ER NER , L L A ( St
. . . . n r s ; oo l of O ie l Sr n ta tu di es , o n do n

V OLUME VIII Chi . n e se , J ap an ese

JOHN CA Le
FER GU S , Ph D , ON
e e e c
. .

du iser to the P r sid n t of the R p u bli of C ina ) h

MAS AHA R U ANE S Ax r, i tt D Un v rsity o f o k yo L i e T
ee ch e e e
.

(J ap an s E x a ng P rof sso r at Harvard Un iv rsi ty, 1913—1 915)

V OLUME IX . Ocean i c
RO N
LA D BURRA GE D IX ON , Ph D .
, Ha rvard Unive rsity .

V OLUME X . A m er i ca n (North of Mex i co )

HA RTLEY B URR A L EXA NDER , Ph D . .
, Un iv ersity o f N eb rask a .

V OLUME XI . A m eri ca n (Lo rin )

HA R TLE Y B m A LE XA D E R , N Ph D .
, Un iv e rsity o f Neb rask a .

V OLUME XII . E gyp h an , I rul e Chin ese

'
-

W MAX MULLER P h D Un i v e rsity o f P en n sylvania

G
.

E O R GE S co rr K C I E
.
, ,

SIR JA ME S , . . .
,

V OLUME X III . I n dex

 PL A T E I
E IG H T G EN I I C RO SS I N G T H E SE A

Se e p . I I 8 .
THE MYTHO LO G Y
O F A LL RA C ES
I N THI R TE E N VOL UMES

CANON J OHN A RNOTT MAC CULLO C H , D D . .

, Em u 0 R -

G EO RG E FO O T MO O RE
,
A . M
.
, DD. .
,
LL D. .
, CO N S ULTIN G ED ITO R

CH IN ES E J A PA N ES E

JO HN C . FERGUSON MASAHARU ANESAK I

P RO FE S S O R O F TH E S CI E N C E OF R E LI G N IO

A T TH E I MPER IA L U N I VER S I TY OF TOKYO

VOLUME V II I

AR CHAEOLO GI CAL I NSTITUTE O F AMER I CA

MARSHALL JO NES C O MPANY B O STO N

MDCCCC XXVIII
 C O PY R I GHT, 19 2 8

BY MA R S HA LL J ONE S C OMPA NY

i
Co p yr g ht e d in G re at Brit a i n

All right: rese rved

Print e d May , 19 2 8

PR I NT D
E IN TH E U NT
I E D STATES O F A MERICA

BY THE T
P LIMP O N SS N W D
PR E OR OO SS
MA .

BO U ND B Y TH E BO ST N
O ND NG
B OO KB I I N
COMPA Y
 CO N TENTS

CHINES E
PA G E

AU T H OR S PRE FA C E
’

I N TROD U CTI ON
C H APT ER I TA O IS M
.

II TH E T H REE E M P EROR S
.

III O T H ER PRE H ISTO R IC E M P EROR S

.

I V I N T ER M IX T U RE O F EAR L Y R E L I GIO U S B E L I E F S
. .

V C O S M O GON Y A N D C OS M OL O G IC A L T H E O I ES
. R

VI SP I R ITS O F NAT U RE
L

V II D O M E STIC R IT E S
.

V III G RE ATNATI ON A L HEROE S

.

I X T H E A N I M A L A N D VE G E TAB L E W OR L D S
.

X S U P ERN AT UR A L BE I N GS
.

X I O C C U L T IS M
.

X II F OL K L ORE
.
-

X III E X E M P L AR Y TA L E S
.

X I V T H E ATRIC A L TA L E S
.

XV BU DD H IST MYT HS
.

XV I C R IT IC IS M
.

JAPANES E
AU T H O R S PRE FAC E
’

I N TRO D U C TI O N
C H A P T ER I C O S M O L O G IC A L MYT H S A N D TA L E S O F O R I G I N S
. .

I Sp ntan o s G n rati n : L i f d D ath

o e u e e o e an e

II Th R l rs f th W rl d : Th Cont st b tw n th
e u e o e o e e e ee e

Su n G o dd e ss
-
an d Sto rm G o d-

III Fu r the r C on fli tsc an d C o m p r o in ises

IV Ep i so de s an d Myths o f O ri g i ns
vi CONT ENTS

V The Be l i e fs Conc e rn i n g the Sou l

VI The Bu ddh i st Para d i se an d t he Gu ard i ans of the

W o rld
C H APT ER II L O CA L L E G EN DS A N D C O M M U N A L C U LTS
.

T O P O G R AP H Y A N D T H E D I VISIO N I N T O C L A N S

C H APTER III . F A IR I E S , CE L ESTIA L BE I N GS T H E ME N , OF TH E

MO U N TA I N
I The So u rc e s o f F i ry Tale s a

II Th e Fa i ry—Mai de n
III The Bu ddh i st Fa i ri s t he T e nn ina n d th e ,
e Ryu j in
IV The Tao i st I m m o rtals
C H APT ER I V . D E M ON S, VA M P IRE S A N D O T H ER G H OSTL Y
BEIN GS
I Th D vi l
e e

II Th H ngry Gh st d th F ri Sp i ri t
e u o an e u ou s

III O th r Ghostly B ing

e e s

C H APT ER V R O M A N T IC STOR I E S
.

C H A P T ER V I H ERO I C ST O R I E S
.

C H APT ER VII STOR I E S O F A N I M A L S

.

I Gr t f l A n i m l
a e u a s

II R v ng f l d M l i i A ni m al
e e e u an a c ou s s

III Th S rp nt
e e e

I V L ov d M rri g
e an f A n i m als a a e o

V Th Ins ts sp c i ally t h B tt rfly

e ec ,
e e e u e

C H APT ER V III S TOR I E S OF PL A N TS A N D FL OW ERS

.

I Myth i al Tr s c ee

II Th G n ii f t h Plants
e e o e

III Th Flow r Fa iri s

e e e

I V Th Floral Cal ndar

e e

CHAPTER IX D IDA C TIC ST OR I E S HU M O U R A N D SAT IRE

.
,

I Th Adap tati n f Stori s to D i dacti c P rp os s

e o o e u e

II Th Story f B n t k k
e o o en o u

III Hu m r d Sat i r ou an e

IV An A g f D i sc ont nt and Sat i r

e o e e
 CONTENTS v ii

A PP EN DIX , FO L K L ORE
-
IN FO LK -
SO N GS

NOT E S, JAPA N ES E
BIB L IO G R AP H Y C H I NE S E
,

BIB L I O G R AP H Y JAPA NE S E
,

I N D E X C H INESE
,
 I L LUSTRATI O N S

FULL PAGE I LLUSTRATIONS

PLATE

I E ght Ge m i C ro ss ng the Se a
i i C o lou re d
II C e ntral Hal l, Po Y ii n Ku an
III 1. Thi rd C o u rt, Po Y iin Ku an
2 . Fo u rth C ou rt, Po Y ii n Ku an
IV C ou rt o f the Tu ng Yo Te m p le
V C o u rt o f t he Tu n g Y O Te m p l e
VI C han g Ta o lin , Tao i st Patr i arch —-
C o l o u re d
V II T he
/
PrIm e val C o u p l e Cre at ing Isl n ds a

V III The Su n go d de ss-

C o l o u re d
IX The La dy who m a k e s the tre e s lo o m
- - - - -
b
X The Star F e stiva l o f Tana -
bata
X I A Gho st
X II ShOzu ga no Baba Gu ard i an o f the C ro ss road
-

,
-

X III Jiz o Gu ard ian Of the Chi ldren s So u ls

,
’

X I V Em m a the Plu to o f th Bu ddh ist He lls

,
e

XV Fu ru no Yashi ro a Shi nto Shri ne ,

XVI Mou nt Tsu ku b a

XVII Mou nt Fu j i
XVIII The Fai ri e s o f the C he rry Blossom s an d the Em p e ro r
Te m m u
X I X A Fe m ale Im m ortal R i d ing on a Mythi cal Pe ac o c k
XX A Vi e w o f the Gathe ri ng Place o f the Im m ortals
XX I A Male I m m o rta l R i d in g on a Chi ne se D ragon
XX II The Se nni n o f Ku m e
XX III Uzu m e an d t he Se ven D e i ti e s O
f Go o d Fortu ne
XX I V D a ikoku Go d o f Go o d Fo rtu ne
,

XXV Eb i su Go d o f Go o d Fo rtu ne
,

XXV I Fu ku roku j u Go d o f Goo d Fortu n e

- -
,

XXVII Fro l ic o f D e m ons

 ILLUST RATIONS
PLA TE
ShOk i, t he v
D e i l Hu nte r
SOj O b é, -
t he i
Ch e f o f the G e n gu or Vam p i re s
Ra i -
ji n , T hu n d e r
FII j in W ind
'

Ya m a -
u b a, t he Mou nta in W om an an d he r So n ,
Kin tar O
Ma i de n o f Una i
The
Shu te n D Oj i The D ru nkard Bo y ,

U shiwa k a a n d Be n k e i o n G o j o Bri dg e i n Mi yak o

Mo m o tarO the Pe achl in g Bo y o n the Isle o f
'

, ,

D e vi ls C o l o u re d
XXXVII Mo m o ta ré the Pe a c hlin g Bo y on the Isl e o f , ,

D e vi ls C o l o u re d
A Ba dg e r i n t he D isg u i se o f a Bu ddh i st Mo nk
W e d di n g o f the Mo nk e ys
The Classi c al D anc e o f the Bu tte r fl ie s — C olo u re d
Ne w Ye ar s D ay ’

May D ay
To rto ise s Sym b ol izing L o ng e vi ty ,

C rane s Sym b ol izi ng Pro sp e ri ty ,

I LLUST RATIONS IN THE TEXT

FIGURE PA G E

I Ho u -
c hi

2 Me e t ing o f C o n fu c i u s a n d La o Tz fi
Ku an g C h én g tzfi
’
3
-

4. The Thre e E m p e ro rs; Hu ang Ti Fu ,

5 G o dd e ss o f t he L o , L o Shén
6 Pi Ka n
7 L i e h Tz iI
'

8 Y il Hu an g , t he J ad e Em p e ror
9 T u t i a n d his W i fe
’
-

I 0 Ho u t u
’
-

I I C h én g Hu an g
’

12 Sa C hén -

j én
13 Ja de Lady , Y u Nu
 I LLUSTRATIONS x i

FIGURE
14 . T
’
in e Ho u
15 Tsao Shén , G o d o f th e He arth
I 6 Mén Shén G u ard ians o f t he Portals
,

Ts a i Shén G o d o f R i che s
’
17 ,

C hao Ku ng m i ng G o d o f R i ches
"

18
’ '

—
,

19 C h i ang Tz fi ya -

20 Sho u Hsing Na n chi la o Je n G o d o f,

- -
, v
L on ge i ty
2I Chang Hsi e n
22 Ta Ssfi Ming
23 Hsi a o Ssii Mi ng
T u n g Hu ang T a i I
’
24 .

25 Y iin Chu ng C hii n

26 Hsi ang C hii n
27 Hsi ang Fu Je n -

28 Tu ng C hIi n
29 Ho Po
3O Sha n Ku e i
3 1 Ku o Shang
32 Ku an Y u , G o d . o f W ar
33 Ku o Tzii i
-

34 The Pho e n ix
.

35 The D r ag o n , Lu ng
36 The Fo x
37 Hu a T O , Gre at Physi c i an
’
t he

38 The Tao i st Tri n i ty, T ie n Pa o , L i ng Pa o , Shén Pao

’

39 Y iia n Shi h T i e n Tsu n

’

Ta o C hii n
Chén W u
W én Ch ang G o d o f L i te ratu re
’
,

Tu ng W ang Ku ng an d Hsi W an g Mu
Fo u r o i
f th e E g ht m m orta ls; L an Ts a ho , Li T I ’
i -
’
i h k u ai
e -

Lii Tu ng p in , Chu ng l i C h iian

’
- -

Li Ti h k ai ’
e -
u

46 Ch ng Ii Ch an
’
u -
u

Lii Tu ng p in -

L u Tu ng p in , Chu ng 1i Ch u an
’
- -
xii ILLUSTRATIONS
FIG UR E
L an Ts a ho
’
i -

5O C han g k u o-

5 1 Han Hs ang i
5 2 Ts ao Ku o ch
’
-
i u

53 Ho Hsi e n k n
-

54 Ho Hsi e n k u , C hang Ku o
-
.

vi
55 W e a ng Da m se l an d She p he rd Bo y, C h h Nu i an d

56 C ontrol o f t he Bre ath

5 7 Chu ng K u e
’
i
i
58 Sh h Ka n Tang
59 Th e G o d de ss f T ai hn Ni an g Ni ang
’
o s a ,

6 0 Y o Fe i
6 1 A He rm i t s Mou ntai n Hu t
’

MAP
FA CING PAG E

Illustrat in g t he Sto ry of t he A dd i ti n
o of P i e ces o f Land to

Iz u m o by O m i tsu - -
nu
 AUT H O R S PR EFA CE
’

IS volume S hould b e ca ll ed O utlin e s o f Chine se My

’

”
Olog y . It lays no claim to conside ration as b e ing an
e xhaustiv e study o f Chin e se mytholo g y, which would re quir e

many volum e s It has be e n possibl e to conde nse t he e sse ntial

.

facts into thi s small space by an e xclu sion o f all myth s which
have any suspi cion o f a for e i g n origi n and by avoiding all com
.

pari son s b e twe e n tho se o f Chin a and thos e o f oth e r countri e s .

Only such traditional stori e s have b e e n e xamin e d as are co n

ce rne d with t/he powe rs o f nature t he ori g in o f cre at e d thing s,
,

o r t he g r o wth o f g ov e rnm e ntal institutions and popul ar custom s

among the Chine se p e opl e .

W h e n t he e arli e st writte n r e cords o f China we re made e s ,

t abl ishe d g ov e rnm e nt and an ord e rly life amon g t h e p e opl e

alr e ady e xi st e d Th e re must have be e n also a vast store o f oral

’

tradi tions The task o f tho se who we re abl e to transmit th e ir

.

opinions by me ans o f writing was to e xplain e stablish e d g ove rn

me nt and org anize d li fe in t he lig ht of oral tradition O ut o f
.

this att e mpt g re w all the myths which ce ntre around the e arly
rul e rs ce l e stial and t e rre strial Althoug h the form o f th e se
,
.

myt hs may have su ffe re d many chang e s as th e y w e re b e ing

transcribe d to writing th e ir cont e nt has without doubt b e e n
, , ,

a ccur at e ly pre s e rv e d ; it is wi th writte n traditions that this

study is conce rn e d .

The source s are nume rous and are to o we ll known t o those

-

who ar e ve rs e d in Chin e se lit e rature to n e e d m e ntioning whil e

,

a de tail e d list would be o f no h e lp to the g e n e ral re ade r The

.

inde x will se rve as a g uide to those who wish t o g o furth e r int o

Chine se lit e rary source s as we ll as an aid to tho se to whom t he
,

syste m o f translite ration o f Chin e se sounds m ay b e un familiar .

4 AUTH O R ’
S PR E FAC E
O n the part o f the author the approa ch to subj e ct has bee n
t he

ma d e with full re cog nition that pit falls fo r t he unwary we re

waiting at e ve ry turn The e xt e nt o f Chine se lite rature t he
.
,

nice ti e s o f ve rbal d istinction , t he various ve rsions o f storie s

which have g radually de ve lop e d int o fixe d accounts , the fre e
u se o f imag inativ e de tails by authors who ag re e only conce rnin
g
ce ntral facts th e se and many oth e r S imilar conditions mak e the
,

path o f o n e working in this fi e ld slipp e ry and dang e rous The .

hop e o f the author is that the aid o f scholarly Chine se frie nds
h as h e lp e d him to avoid many mistake s and has e nabl e d him t o
g iv e a pr e s e ntation o f t h e outlin e s o f a vast subj e ct which no
o ne up t o t he pre s e nt wr i t i ng has ve ntur e d t o tr e at.

J O HN C
. F ER G U S O N
J
a n u ar
y, 1 92 7
 I N TRO D UCTI O N

E orig in o f t he tribe s which first se ttl e d along the Valle y

o f the Ye llow R iv e r and e xpand e d into t he Chin e s e race ,

is still a subj e ct fo r future inve stig ators W h e r e ve r th e se e arly

.

se ttl e rs cam e from th e y posse sse d strong physiqu e s and must

,

have be e n fond o f adve nture fo r we find th e m scatte re d along

,

t he Yang tze R ive r in t he n e ig hbourhood o f t he pr e s e nt city o f

Hankow and far e ast o f the hills o f Che hkian g as we ll as ,

having push e d th e irway to the country north and south O f t he

’

mouth o f the Ye llow R ive r The course s o f the g re at rive rs

.

o f China b e ing e astward, it is r e asonabl e t o suppo se that t h e

drift o f the mainland population o f China has b e e n from we st

t o e ast
.

The coast provin ce s o f China Kuan g tung , Fuki e n , and t he

,

south e rn hal f o f Che hk iang g ive e vide n ce s o f having be e n pop

,

u late d in t h e first instan ce by s e a faring p e opl e ,

probably o f
Malay orig in Th e y we re alli e d to t he e arly populations o f t he
.

Philippine I slands and Japan , spok e many dial e ct s and p e r ,

sist e d fo r a long tim e in th e ir inh e re nt t e nde ncy to split up into

small divi sions The mainland civilization o f China g radually
.

spre ad south e astward among th e se illite rat e p e opl e and from

-

t he tim e o f t he T ang dynasty in t he se ve nth c e ntury A D ,

’
. .

absorbe d th e m n o t only into t he political domain, but also in

fuse d into th e m its dominating spirit China furnish e d th e se
.

tribe s with lit e rature art and g ove rnme nt in stitutions so co m

,

p le te ly that in a fe w g e n e rations n e arly all tra ce s o f th e ir e xotic

orig in had be e n o blit e rat e d t he only p e rsisting re minde r b e in g
,

in t he nam e Me n o f T ang by which the p e opl e o f Canton

’

still call the mse lve s, thus re m e mbe rin g that th e y cam e into t he
6 I NTR O DUCTI O N
re alm o f Chin e s e civilization in the T ang dynasty, and that this
e v e nt was th e b e g inn i ng o f th e ir orde r e d li fe unde r e st ablish e d

g ove rnm e nt .

Th e r e was no att e mpt among the e arly annalists o f China to

trace th e ir national orig in to a d ivin e o r sup e rnatural source .

The n e are st approach to S uch e xtravag an ce is in the account o f

the birth o f the l e g e ndary
founde r o f the Chow dynasty .

Hou chi , t o whom sa crifi ce s we re

-

O ffe re d by the House o f Chow,

was the son o f Chiang Y ii an .

His moth e r who had be e n child

,

l e ss fo r som e tim e trod o n a to e

,
-b

print made by God was move d ,

th e re by to be com e pre g nant , and

lat e r g ave birth to Hou chi
'
-
.

This wonde rful son was r e are d

with the aid o f sh e e p and oxe n
who prote cte d him with loving
care Birds scr e e n e d and sup
.

port e d him with th e ir wing s .

H e was abl e to fe e d him se l f at

an e arly ag e by planting be ans
FG I
I . H U C III
O - -
and wh e at. It was h e who g ave

t d his p e opl e t he b e autiful g rain s

o f the mill e t whi ch was r e ap e d in abundanc e and stack e d up on

th e g round fo r th e support o f his d e p e nd e nt p e opl e This tal e

.

has be e n re cog nize d in historical tim e s as a fabl e and tre ate d,

with g ood nature d tol e ran ce thoug h not with be lie f Th e re

-

,
.

has be e n a surprising lack o f int e r e st among Chin e s e write rs

con ce rning this subj e ct o f the orig in o f th e ir race , and it will b e
note d in this account o f Hou chi that nothing is said about the
-

orig in o f his moth e r The ke e n common s e nse o f the Chine se

.

race which has b e e n o ne o f th e ir mo st promin e nt charact e ristics

,
 I NTR O DUCTI O N 7
in all ag e s has ke pt th e m from the folly o f ascribing a divin e
,

orig in to th e ir particular race .

The historian S su ma Ch i e n comm e nce s his Annals with

-
’

Huang Ti the first o f the Five S ove re ig ns 2 7 04 2 595 B C

, ,
—
. .

S om e oth e r wr it e rs g o ba ck to t he e arli e r p e riod o f t he mythi cal

Thre e E mp e rors, but t he p e riod In which e ve nts may b e r e
g ard e d a s having histori cal foundation s is mu c h lat e r e v e n than
the tim e o f Huang Ti W ith the in formation whi ch is at pr e s
.

e n t availabl e to t he world, it is n o t saf e t o place t he comm e nce

m e nt Of t he hi storical p e riod o f China e arlie r than the fall o f

t he S hang dynasty an d t he ris e o f t he Hous e o f Chow, I I 2 2 B C
,
. .

It is be tte r still to place the be g inning o f re liabl e hi story as

84 1 which is the first e xact date with whi ch SS iI ma Ch i e n — ’

starts in t he S hih Chi At this p e riod we are m e t with a civiliza

.

tion alr e ady w e ll e st abli sh e d The p e opl e n o t only we r e g ood

’

ag riculturists but also unde rstood the art o f writing S uch

, .

re mains a s we have o f an e arlie r tim e ar e ide og raphs in cis e d o n

bone s o r ca st as inscription s o n bronze sacrifi cial ve sse ls The .

amount of historical knowl e dg e g ain e d from th e se is ve ry small

and has made littl e contribution to o u r unde rstanding o f the
e arly civili z ation o f China Th e ir chi e f valu e has be e n in fu r
.

n ishin g e vi d e n ce that t he civilization o f Chin a as we know it

in the Chow dynasty, is a continuous de ve lopme nt from the

e arly civilization o f t he orig inal inhabitant s o f China an d that ,

it is n o t an importation from outside source s China de ve lo p e d.

fo r h e rse l f a civilization di stin ct from that o f any oth e r nation

Of antiquity and this civilization with many chang e s and wide
,

de ve lo pme nt has re maine d down t o o u r pr e se nt time It has .

had a long e r co ntinuous e xist e nce than any oth e r that the world
has e ve r known .

The pra ctic e o f divination and the obse rvance o f ce re moni e s ,

family and tribal ar e the two outstanding fe atur e s o f the an ci e nt

,

c ivilization o f China Th e y re pre se nt the contrasting ide als o f

.

individualistic an d o f soci al de v e lopm e nt The c once ption o f

.
8 I NTR O DUCTI O N
the in d ividual , g ove rne d by his o wn innat e se nse o f rig ht and
wrong as forming the basis o f the stat e , is associat e d with the
,

pra ctice s o f divination by m e ans o f which t he imme d iat e actions

o f th e individual should b e d e t e rmin e d and t h e r e sults o f his

actions fore tol d The conce ption o f t he stat e , p e rsonifi e d by its

.

tut e lary h e ad as de t e rmining rig ht o r wrong for the individual

, ,

is associat e d with ce re monial Obse rvan ce s The form e r syst e m

.
,

be ing individualisti c, is libe ral , whil e t he latte r i s conse rvative .

Th e form e r provide s fo r chang e amidst chang ing circumstance s ,

t he latt e r cont e mplat e s ri g idity ba se d upon e xistin g tradition
'

It has b e e n customary among Chin e se write rs to divide the

philosophic co nce pt s o f t he nation into nin e schools Th e se .

ar e ( I ) The School o f Dualism, ( 2 ) The School o f L e tt e rs,

( 3) The S chool o f E quality Th e S chool o f W ords ( 5)
, ,

The School o f Laws ( 6 ) The S chool o f Do ctrin e ( 7 ) The

, ,

S chool o f Ag ri culturi sts ( 8 ) The School o f Tol e ranc e and ( 9)

, ,

The E cl e cti c S chool Th e re is no n e e d o f followin g t he in tri

.

cat e philo sophic di stin ctions o f th e s e nin e sc hool s in this pr e se nt

discussion 5 it is suffi ci e nt to not e that th e y can b e classifi e d unde r

t he two g e n e ral h e ading s o f Lib e ralism , as e xe mplifi e d by Lao

Tz fi Tao Chia and o f Con se rvati sm a s typifi e d by Confucius

, , , ,

Ju Chia The de ve lopm e nt and t e nde nci e s of th e se two s chool s

.

c ir c um scrib e t he e ntir e body o f Chin e se thoug ht , both anci e nt

an d mo d e rn .

The lin e o f de marcation b e tw e e n th e se two schools may b e

illustrat e d by the adh e re nce o f the o n e to the E ig ht Diag rams
‘

re put e d to have b e e n e volve d by Fu Hsi from marks found o n

t he ba ck o f a dra g on hor se ; and o f t he oth e r to the ce r e monial

Nin e Tripods r e cog nize d by Con fu cius as the e mbl e m o f Imp e

rial authority The Lib e ral School found an ci e nt authorization
.

in The Book o f Chang e s t he Conse rvative in The Sprin g

”
,
”
and Autumn Annals The form e r was fre e to ran g e ove r the
.

whol e fi e ld o f animal and plant li fe in se arch o f an e xplanation

o f man s r e lation to t he univ e rse , the l att e r confin e d its e lf t o
’
10 I NTR O DUCTI O N
The g r e at e st politica l support o f Lib e ralism was the Emp e ro r
Shih Huang the founde r o f the Ch i n dynasty His Prime
,
’
.

Mini st e r, Li 8 313, was t he most untiring oppone nt o f the Co n

se r v ativ e S chool o f h is tim e or of any sub se qu e nt tim e Both .

t he E mp e ror and his Prim e Minist e r w e r e firm b e li e ve rs in t he

principl e s o f t he School o f Doctrin e o r Tao In p e rsonal co n .

duct as w e ll as in t he e stablishm e nt and administration o f his

g ove rnm e nt S hih Huang re fl e ct e d no honour upon t he t e ach
,

ing s of t he S cho ol o f L ao Tz fi H e was a cru e l tyrant passion

.
,

a t e in t e mp e r intol e rant o f any form o f oppo sition and e ntir e ly

,

d ominat e d by his o wn imp e rious s e l f will H e burn e d the

—
.

books o f the Con se rvative s and de stroye d th e ir ce r e monial ut e n

sil s in t he hop e o f c utting him se lf O f f from the r e strictions im
po se d by tho se who had g on e b e for e him , and o f e stablishing
a n e w orde r H is su cce ss was only partial , fo r thoug h he e stab
.

l ishe d a bure au crati c form o f g ove rnm e nt whi ch c onti nue d in

it s g e n e ral principl e s down to t he R e publi can R e volution o f
1 9 1 1 1 2 it was c ontroll e d a ft e r his de ath n o t by t he prin cipl e s
—
,

in which he b e li e ve d but by thos e o f the Con se rvative S chool

,
.

Th e ta sk of t he Han d ynasty, whi c h su cce e de d the Ch in e stab ’

l ishe d by S hih Huan g c on si st e d in r e taining t h e form o f g o v

,

e r n m e n t e stabli sh e d by S hih Huang and o f brin g in g it unde r the

domination o f the philo sophi cal ide a s o f the Conse rvative

S chool . I f S hih Huang had b e e n a man o f a hi g h e r typ e o f
p e rsonal c hara ct e r, t he dyna sty which he e stabli sh e d mig ht have
had a g oo d c hance o f survival A s it happ e ne d his g ove rnm e nt
.
,

surviv e d in form but cam e e ntire ly unde r t he control of an

,

oppo sing se t o f principl e s .

During t he Han dynasty, about 1 50 B O the saying s o f . .

,
.

Con fucius we re compil e d by o n e O f his de sce n d ant s K ung ,

’

A n kuo
—
This compilation call e d L n n Y ii H siin Tz i i was
.
,
’
,

bas e d upon the compari son o f two t e xt s O n e o f th e se was .

found with oth e r t e xt s p i chn/

‘

n g shn in a wall of t he hom e o f

, ,

Con fu cius wh e n it was be in g de molish e d by Kung W ang , so n

 I NTR O DUCTI O N 1I

of the E mp e ro r Chin g Ti , who was appointe d by his fath e r to

be King o f the Principality o f Lu ( mode rn Shantung ) This .

t e xt was writte n in the so call e d tadpol e charact e rs, k o t o n

-
’ —

” ‘
oven and is kn own as t he
,
anci e nt t e xt k n wen The o th e r
, .

t e xt came from the n e ig hbouring prin cipality o f Ch i and , be ing ’

writte n in the chara ct e rs which were use d in t he last ye ars o f t he

”
Chow dynasty is kn own as t he
,
mode rn t e xt chin wi n The
, .

compilation o f K ung An k u o , with som e e m e ndations, has re

’ —

main e d the standar d o f the Con se rvative S chool for all succe e d
in g g e n e rations and as it in clude s t he Ch nn Ch in o r S pring
,
’ ’
,
”
and Autumn Annals, it c arrie s back t he account o f China s an ’

ci e nt civilization to a g re at anti qui ty .

It is thus e vide nt that th e re have be e n fro m ancie nt time s two

line s o f de ve lopm e nt in Chin e se thoug ht , o n e conse rvative and
the oth e r l ibei al Th e se have n o t be e n mutually e xclusive but
‘
‘
.
,

have flourish e d S ide by side and n o t in fre que ntly have be e n

found tog e th e r in t h e writin g s o f o n e p e rson From the w e ste rn
.

point o f V i e w th e re is a lack o f pre cision in the di ffe r e nce s be

twe e n th e se two schools but to t he Chin e s e the contrast lie s in
,

th e ir g e n e ral ide as rath e r than in de t ails

.
C H IN E S E MY T H O L O G Y

C H A P TE R I

TA O I S M

E Scho ol o f Doctrin e Tao has g ath e re d around it almost

, ,

all the mytholog ical charact e rs o f Chi ne se history ; and

it is n e ce ssary to unde rstand the g radual de ve lopm e nt Of this
school into o n e o f the national Thre e R e lig io ns Confucian
ism, Taoism En d Buddhism The e mphasis place d upon m y
.

tho l o g ical subj e cts having take n plac e aft e r t he e stablishm e nt

o f Taoism as a re li g ion and t he obj e ct o f this book b e in g to dis

,

cuss th e se subj e cts and not e thical o n e s it will not b e n e ce ssary

,

in t he fo il o wing pag e s t o make any furth e r u se of t he t e rm

—

School o f Doctrine , Tao In its ste ad the te rm Taoism will be

.

use d in a g e n e ri c se n se as in cluding all that we nt be for e as we ll

as all that followe d a ft e r its re cog nition as a re lig ion .

Th e re are thre e distin ct stag e s o f Taoism The first o f th e se ,

.

which may be call e d the e thical can b e dat e d conve nie ntly as
,

having be g un with Lao T2 11 and his writing s which are include d

in the Tao Te h Kin g Thi s was t he stag e o f philosophic discus
.

sion, be g inning about the close o f the sixth ce ntury B C The . .

se cond stag e o r the mag ical as it may be calle d be g an in t he

, ,

first ce ntury o f the Chri stian e ra and is ce ntre d around t he p e r

so n ality o f Chan g Tao lin g -
H e r e tir e d to se clusion in the
.

mountains o f we st e rn China and de vote d himse lf t o t he study

o f alch e my and to the cultivation o f purity by m e ans o f m e ntal

abstraction He re he was soug ht o u t by larg e numb e rs Of dis

.

cip l e s, who paid him fi v e p e cks o f rice a day fo r th e ir k e e p , fro m

I4 . CHI NE SE MYTH O L O GY
which his t e aching b e cam e known as the W u To u Mi Tao o r
”
the Doctrin e o f Five P e cks o f R ice This cong re g ation o f
.

Chang s di scipl e s was the first stirring o f the move me nt which

’

lat e r was org anize d into a re li g ion Chan g call e d himse lf .

Ce l e stial T e a ch e r ( t ie n shih ) Thi s was a t e rm use d by

’
.

Chuan g Tz ii who stat e s that it was con fe rr e d upon a youth of

,

Hsian g Ch én g by the Ye llow E mp e ror According to the S n

’
.

W en it was also g ive n to Ch i Po o n e o f the assi stants o f the

‘ ’
,

Ye llow E mp e ror who is known as t he founde r o f the art o f

,

h e aling Thi s was the stag e o f de ve lopme nt o f the mag ical arts
.

”
an d was bas e d upon t he my st e ri e s o f The Book o f Chan g e s
rath e r than up o n the e thi cal te aching s o f Lao Tz ii The third .

stag e o r that o f an org anize d r e lig ion cam e in the se ve nth ce n

, ,

tury A D durin g the r e ig n o f the illustrious founde r o f the

. .

T ang dyna sty Li S hih min whos e dynastic titl e is T ai Tsung

’
,
-

,
’
.

Pro foundly influe n ce d by the tradition that the family n am e o f

L ao TziI was Li and that this was his o wn patronymic, T ai ’
’

Tsung l e nt his influ e nce to the e stabli shm e nt of Taoi sm as a

r e lig ion on the sam e basis as the flouri shing Buddhi stic r e lig ion
in whose myst e ri e s he was al so a pro found be li e ve r Accord .

ing to Fén Y e n Chie n W en Chi T ai Tsung claim e d L ao Tz iI

‘ ‘ ’ ’

as the pro g e nitor o f his bran ch o f the Li family .

A s a r e li g ion Taoi sm was founde d in the se ve nth ce ntury A D . .

,

and in its r e lig ious a sp e ct s is an imitation o f Buddhism It .

adopt e d t he Bu d dhi sti c custo m o f bu ilding t e mple s in which

.

roups f a sce tic s w e r e c oll e ct e d fo r t h e p u r p o se o f p e r forming

g o

re ligi o u s rit e s and o f propag ating do ctrin e E arly Chin e se his .

tory was se arch e d for p e rsonag e s who could b e match e d with

tho se from India introduce d into China by Budd hism Lao Tzil .

took t he pla ce o f Sakya muni , the Four H e ave nly King s ( Ssii
T i e n W ang ) that o f the Four L o k o p o las, the Thre e Pur e O n e s
’

Ch in that f Thr Pr e cious O n e s ( S an P ao ) e tc

( g) h
’
S an o t e e e ,
.

Th e re was littl e att e mpt o n the part o f this n e w Taoi st re lig ion
to r e fute any of the doctrin e s o f Indian Buddhism althoug h a ,
I 6 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
c lo se analysis o f the doctrine s o f th e se two s e cts would S how
that th e y ar e n o t in harmony o n fundame ntal que stio ns Bud .

d hism aim s at e xt e rminating both soul and body, whil e Taoi sm

striv e s to e th e r e aliz e the body until it r e ach e s a stat e o f im

mortality The radical d iHe re n ce in doctrinal t e achin g s was

.

g loss e d ov e r in the ze al o f t he T an g E mp e ror t o transpo se t he

’

popular b e li e f in Buddhism into natio nali stic line s E ve ry .

thing in Taoism is of pure ly Chin e se orig in an d howe ve r much

,

its form may have b e e n influ e n ce d by t he importation o f Bud

d hism , the e ntire body o f the Taoi st do ctrin e spring s from
nation al source s Taoi sm is a r e volt ag ain st Budd hi sm be cause
.

o f its for e i g n ori g in whil e at t h e sam e tim e it did not h e sitat e

,

t o copy S lavi shly its whol e sy st e m o f org anizat i on .

The influ e nc e o f the e thical philo sophy o f Lao Tz ii in the

org anize d de ve lopm e nt o f Taoism was larg e ly ove rsha d owe d
by t he mag ical arts o f Chang Tao ling who re ve rt e d to an
—
,

e arli e r sour ce than Lao Tz ii fo r his authority H e w e nt back

.

to The Book of Chang e s ( I Kin g ) o f which Con fu cius said

,

in the Anale cts ( L u n Y n ) If my numbe r o f ye ars we re in

cre ase d I would g ive fi fty o f th e m t o the stu d y o f the I King
,
”
and th e n I mig ht co me to be without g r e at fault s The Book
.

o f Chan g e s is the e arli e st o f the Chin e se classics and it may , ,

b e adde d r e mains t he o n e l e ast unde rstood It must have orig i

,
.

n at e d se v e ral ce nturi e s e arli e r than t h e tim e o f Con fucius and

Lao Tzii but afte r the time O f W én W ang , 1 2 31 1 1 35 B C ,

,
—
. .

who e xpande d t he orig inal E ig ht Diag ram s into sixty four such -

as ar e found in this classic The I Kin g is conce rne d with the

.

discussion o f lucky and unlucky e ve nts which are myst e riously

e ntwin e d with the nam e s o f the Sixty four Diag ram s
-
It S p e aks .

o f g ood fortun e in such e v e nts as choosin g a wife in r e turnin g ,

home in g oing o n an e xp e dition It coupl e s morality with g ood

,
.

fortune in such phrase s as th e re is prosp e rity fo r the he ro who

”
is corr e ct in conduct . It g iv e s g r e at honour to the rule r o f
t he stat e , and this is probably the r e ason that Confucius so
I 8 CHI NE SE MYTH O L O GY
The Ta o Te h King was g ive n this nam e by Hsuan Tsun g ,
se ve nth E mp e ror o f the
T ang dynasty during the e arly part ’
,

o f t he e i g hth c e ntury A D but its cont e nts are rig htly re pute d
. .
,

t o b e mainly t he saying s o f L ao Tz il Dire ct quotations from it

'

.
,

as we ll as paraphrase s o f its l e ading truths, ar e g ive n by s e ve ral

philosoph e rs e arlie r than t he Christian e ra t he o n e n e are st to ,

t he tim e o f Lao Tz ii having liv e d littl e mor e than o n e hundr e d

ye ars subse qu e nt to him Th e re se e ms littl e re ason t o doubt

.

t he historical tradition that such a p e rson as L ao Tz ii e xist e d,

and that the re cord o f his saying s is found in the Tao Te h King .

e ve n thou g h we allow that this b o ok may als o c onta i n Int e rpola

tions and additions made by lat e r writ e rs The doctrine s o f .

Lao Tzu ar e stat e d in crisp s e nt e nce s , t he m e aning o f which has

cause d e ndl e s s Sp e culation among Chine se comme ntators and
fore ig n stude nts The first chapt e r di scusse s t he word Tao
.

which subse que ntly g ave its nam e t o t he Tao ist re lig ion Tao is .

at the be g inning o f all thing s e xisting be fore t he cre ation o f ,

t he world W h e n it take s a form it is call e d Ming a name

.
”
, .

The prop e r r e lation o f a philosoph e r to the univ e rse is n o n

action can we i and quie tn e ss, ching In g e n e ral t e rms this
, ,
.

classic shows ho w Tao ist he true t e ach e r o f man , instructing

him in humility, s e lf control qui e tn e ss conside ration for o th
-

, ,
‘

e r s and m e e kn e ss By following its principl e s man can a chi e ve ,

. .
,

without striving o r s e e ming t o do so Th e re are a fe w trace s o f .

sup e rnatural and myst e rious influe nce s which we re e asily di

ve rte d by lat e r Taoist t e ach e rs t o t he support o f th e ir mag ical
practice s and myst e rious inve stig ation s, but take n as a whole
t h e classic maintains a hig h l e v e l in moral discussions It has .

only a fo rce d re lationship t o t he Taoist r e lig ion o f t he T ang’

dynasty whi ch may b e j ustly compar e d to the force d re lation

,

ship which Li Shih min T ai Tsung of the T ang dyna sty,

-

,
’ ’

claim e d with Li E r h L ao Tz fi , whos e saying s are found in the

,

Ta o Te h King .

The r e fe re nce s to t he t e aching s o f L ao Tzu made by the phi

 TA O I S M I 9
l o so p he rs Chuang and Li e h as we ll as th e ir own disquisition s,
,

ar e chi e fly d e vot e d to e thi cs The natur e o f th e ir dis cu ssions

.

mig ht naturally have be e n conside r e d suffici e nt to prote ct the

t e a ching s o f Lao Tz u from se izur e by Chang Tao ling of the —

‘
Han dynasty and t he E mp e ror T ai : Isung o f the T ang dynasty
’ ’
,

as a basis upon which a stru ctIIre Of mag i c could b e built an d a

re lig ion e st ablish e d The o nly re asonabl e e xplanation o f th e ir
.

having b e e n unabl e to d o so is that S in ce it was impossible t o

,

harmonize the mag i cal arts o f Chang with t he t e aching s o f the

Cons e rvative School re pre se nte d by Con fucius t he only possibl e ,

re sort o f t he E mp e ror T ai Tsung in founding a nationalistic

’

re lig ion was t o Lao Tzu whose t e aching s had b e e n e xpr e sse d in
such ambig uous t e rm s that th e y a dmitt e d o f m any di ffe ring
int e rpre tations The Conse rvative s stood fo r t he e xisting orde r,
.

/
wh e re as a n e vI re lig io n de mande d chang e s T ai Tsung g ave
’

r .
’

all du e r e sp e ct to t he Conse rvative class which ralli e d to his

support as E mp e ror and appr e ciate d his patro nag e o f orthodox
lite ratur e and art At t he same tim e his pro found be li e f in the
.

re lig ious te aching s of Budd hism imp e ll e d him to borrow th e r e

—

from all the e sse ntial prin cipl e s whi ch should b e worke d ove r
into a n e w nationalistic re lig ion fo r China bas e d upon Libe ral ,

ism whil e at the sam e tim e it ran n o risk o f conflicting with

,

Con fucian Con se rvatism fo r the r e a son that both had a commo n
orig in in t he anci e nt civilization o f China .

From the fore g oing it will b e se e n that Tao i sm as de ve lop e d ,

into a national re lig ion in the T ang dynasty had a ve ry mixe d

’
,

o ri g in By adopting Lao Tzfi as the philosophic founde r o f

.

thi s re lig ion Taoism se l e cte d t he an ci e nt saying s found in t he

,

Ta o Te h Kin g as capabl e o f inte rpr e tation in support o f mag i cal

art s and al ch e my and as containing nothing which coul d b e
,

use d ag ainst the in corporation o f th e s e g ro ss e r e l e m e nts into

—

the n e w r e li g ion Th e amplification s o f the t e aching o f L ao

.

Tzii by Chuang Tz ii Li e h Tzii Han F e i Tz ii and Huai nan

.
, ,
-

Tzfi , which ar e acc e pt e d as standard int e rpre tations o f his te ach

20 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
in g , contain proportionat e ly many more r e fe re nce s to m yste ri
o u s e v e nts and sup e rnatural abiliti e s than the ori g inal sayin s
g
o f t h e Ta o Te h Kin g whil e at t he sam e tim e th e y carry t he
,

vi e ws of Lao Tzfi conce rning immortality we ll along the r oad

toward the mag i cal pract ice s mysti cal charm s and alch e mic ,

stud i e s o f Chan g Tao lin g From the tim e o f Chang to that o f

-
.

T ai Tsung at the op e ning o f the Han dynasty the influe nce o f

’
,

t he Cons e rvative S chool and t he Con fucian classics was at a

low e bb d u e in larg e m e a sure to t he ri sing popularity o f Bud

,

d histic t e achin g whi ch cam e in upon China like a flood durin g

this p e riod The whol e tre nd of thoug ht during those Six hu n
.

dre d odd y e ar s was in the dire ction o f b e lie f in miraculous

,

e ve nts worship o f idols and admiration o f an a sce tic li fe as most

, ,

conducive to r e lig ious purification W ith this stat e o f mind, .

which had la st e d fo r so long a tim e T ai Tsun g found a soil ,

’

w e ll pre pare d fo r the n e w r e lig ion o f Taoism in which asce ti

—

cism was favour e d and mag i cal art s w e r e practis e d unde r t he

san ction o f the e thi cal t e aching s o f Lao TziI To a sce ticism and
'

mag ic t he Conse rvative Con fu cian sch o ol was unalt e rably o p

po se d but t he mixture o f Lao Tzii s e thical t e aching in Taoism
,
’

and its backward look to the e arly histori cal and mythical char
a cte r s o f China sav e d Tao i sm from any p e rs e cution by t he Con
,

se r v ativ e clas s n o t only at the tim e o f it s o rig in but also during

, ,

all lat e r ce nturi e s Buddhism was p e rse cut e d b e cause it was

.

fore i g n , Taoism which contain e d more sup e rstition than its

,

fore ig n rival was looke d upon with favour b e cause its whol e
,

atmosph e re was nationalistic .

This strong nationalistic strain in Taoism l e d its support e rs

to claim the e arly E mp e ror, Huang Ti as the re al founde r o f ,

thi s n e w r e lig ion thu s g oing far back be yond Lao TziI in point
'

o f tim e and pr e stig e The principl e s advocat e d by Confucius

.

we re attribut e d by him to Yao and Shun , o f t he twe nty fourth -

and twe nty third ce nturi e s B C , but Taoism we nt back thre e ce n

-
. .

tu r ie s e arli e r to the first o f t he fiv e sove r e i g n s, wh o is r e put e d

 TA O ISM 21

to have rule d at the dawn o f history Huang Ti usually kn own .

,

as the Ye llo w E mp e ror fo r m e d a much mor e conve nie nt start

,

ing point fo r the kin d o f r e lig ion that Taoi sm g av e promi se o f

be coming t han the e thi cal philosoph e r L ao Tzfl fo r Huang Ti
, , ,

had n o t only had a mira culo u s b irth but his re ig n had be e n ,

fille d with marve llous e ve nts H e g ath e re d around him S ix

.

g r e at Minist e r swith who se h e lp h e arran g e d t h e cy clical p e riod

o f S ixty ye ars and co mpo se d a cal e ndar Math e matical calcu .

l atio n s w e r e inaug ur at e d The p e opl e w e re taug ht to make

.

ute nsils o f wood m e tal and e arth to build boats an d carriag e s

, , ,

t o u se mon e y to mak e musi cal in strum e nt s o u t o f bamboo which

,

h e first broug ht to China an d to do many oth e r wonde r ful

,

thing s H e sacrifi ce d to S han g Ti the Supre m e R ul e r in t he

.
, ,

first t e mpl e e re ct e d fo r this purpos e , and is thus the re put e d

founde r o f th e sacrifi cial cult H e is also g ive n cr e d it fo r hav
.

in g built t he first palace so as to distin g uish his r e side nc e from

tho se o f the common p e opl e H e studie d t he op e ration s o f t he
.

opposing principl e s o f nature and the prop e rti e s of various

,

h e rbs whiCh he made into m e dicin e s by t he u se o f whi ch human,

life coul d b e g re atly prolong e d Be for e his de ath at the ag e o f

.
,
‘
o n e hundr e d arfd e l e ve n , t h e pho e nix ( féng hn a n g ) and t he -

unicorn ( ch i lin ) , had app e are d as e vide n ce s o f t he b e ni g nity o f

’ —

his r u l e Th e se t radition s c on ce rning the Ye llow E mp e ror had

.

be come w e ll e stabli sh e d in China long be fore the de ci sion o f

T ai Tsung to make Taoism a r e lig ion and what mor e natural
’
,

than that the Ye llow E mp e ror who had be com e the starting,

point o f all miraculous an d wonde r ful national e ve nt s sho u ld ,

be come the actual fountain from whi ch it could be claim e d that

Taoism flowe d If it had n o t b e e n fo r the influe n ce o f t he
.

Conse rvative S chool which e mpha size d e thical t e a ching th e re ,

is not much like lihood that any larg e e mphasis would e ve r have
be e n pla ce d in Taoism upon its co nn e ction with Lao Tzfi fo r ,

as a matt e r o f fact Taoism as a re lig ion has ve ry Slig ht conn e c

,

tion with any kind o f e thical t e aching Its re al e mphasis is upo n .

22 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
mag ical and occult practi ce s and its de v e lopme nt in China from
,

t h e T an g dyna sty onward would not have b e e n much d i fi e r e n t

’

from what it has b e e n if no r e lation with Lao Tz u had b e e n e s

t ab lishe d The tru e sourc e o f Taoism is rig htly pla ce d in t he
.

mythi cal and mag ical Y e llow E mp e ror and the asce tic Chang
Tao ling rath e r than in the e thical re cluse L ao Tzfi W ith the
-

,
.

Ye llow E mp e ror was associat e d Kuang Ch éng tzii who has b e

’ —

com e a famou s characte r .

H e dw e lt as a r e cluse in
a ston e ho u s e o n the
K ung t ung Mountain
’ -
’
.

According to Chuang
Tz ii th e Ye llow E m
p e r o r at o n e tim e we nt to
thi s mountain to inquire
of Kuan g Ch én g tz ii ’ —

c on ce rnin g philosophical

matt e r s Kuang Ch én g
.
’

ts is popularly re p r e
s e nt e d as stan d ing with
h is face upturn e d with
'

his arm s folde d in such a

way as to g ath e r up his
lon g Sl e e ve s and with a
KU NG C H ENG Tzfi
’ ,
FG 3
I . . A -

larg e m e dallion s u s
p e nde d from his be lt O n the m e dallion are inscribe d t he
.

E ig ht Diag ram s H is c e l e stial abode is in the Capital o f Si

.

l e n ce ( Y ii Hsu Kung ) H e is cre dite d with the powe r of con

.

trolling e vil spirits and g iving V ictory in war .

It was during t he Y ii an dynasty that t he po sition o f Lao Tzii

b e cam e fixe d in Taoism H e had b e e n canonize d by T ai Tsung
.
’

with the titl e of H sii an Y ii an Huang Ti whi ch m e an s E m

,

p e ro t o f Myst e riou s O rig in ”

The Yii an dynasty s e iz e d upon
.

t h e fir st two charact e rs o f this canonical nam e and conn e ct e d,

 PL ATE II
C E N TR A L HA LL Po Y U N K U A N TA O IST T E M P L E
, , ,

PE K I N G

Se e pp . 2 3, 1
35 .
 TA O ISM 23

the m in r e ve re nce with its o wn nam e Yuan in the same way as , ,

T ai Tsung had conn e ct e d him se l f with Lao Tz fi o n account o f

’

having a common surnam e This for ce d conn e ction in two in .

stance s b e twe e n re ig ning house s an d Lao Tz u t he T ang

’

throug h ide ntity o f surnam e an d the Yu an throug h similar ity

be twe e n its d ynastic nam e an d t he canonica l name be st o we d
upon Lao Tz u had pro found influen ce upon the succe ss o f
Taoism as a r e lig ion among the p e opl e During t he tim e o f the .

first Yu an E mp e ror Ge ng hi s Khan a note d re cluse Ch iu

, , ,
’

Ch u chi ( Ch iu Ch ang Ch un ) was soug ht o u t in his re tre at

’ -
’ ’ ’
,

o n the S nowy Mountain ( H sii e h S han ) an d from him t h e E m ,

l e arn e d o f t he d o ctrin e s o f Taoi sm It i in honour f

p e ro r s o .

this man that on t he nine t e e nth day o f the first moon it is cu s

t o m ar y fo r r e si d e nt s o f P e ki ng to mak e pil g rimag e s to the Po

Y iin Kuan , a famou s Taoi st t e mpl e out si d e t h e H si Pi e n Mén .

The popular nam e fo r thi s pil g rimag e is Y e n Chiu Thi s t e mpl e . .

was the Ch ang Ch un pala ce d uring the Yu an d ynasty and was

’ ’

pre se nte d by the E mp e ror G e ng his Khan to Ch iu Ch u chi ’ ’ -

.

Traditio n has it that G e ng hi s Khan wi sh e d to b e troth his

’

daug ht e r to Ch iu an d that Ch iu fe aring po ssibl e con se qu e nce s

’
,
’
,

o f such a marriag e de ci d e d o n the nin e te e nth d ay o f the first

,

moon to avoi d any marriag e by b e coming an a sce tic It is in .

honour o f Ch iu s de ci sion that this y e arly pi lg rimag e is made

’ ’
.

This popular a ccount must howe ve r, be se t a si d e in V i e w o f the

,

fact that the d ay ce l e brat e d was in re ality t he birthday o f Ch iu ’

Ch u chi
’ -
During the re ig n o f the Yu an E mp e ror T i e n Li ,
.
,
’

1 32 9 1 332 A D
—
t h e g r e at stat e sman and scholar Chao M en g
. .
, ,

fu wrot e t he in scription fo r an imm e n se ston e tabl e t b e stow e d

,

by thi s E mp e ror upon t he Tung Yo t e mpl e outsi d e the Ch ao ’

Yang Men whi ch had b e e n built unde r the Imp e rial patronag e
o f o n e o f his pr e d e ce s sors This tabl e t re main s in a g oo d state
.

o f pr e se rvation in this larg e t e mpl e a n d i ts inscription i s o n e of ,

the most int e r e stin g as w e ll as authoritative e xposition s o f

Taoism availabl e to stude nts In this inscription Taoism is .
24 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
r e fe rr e d to as Hsuan Chiao in st e ad o f Tao Chiao , which was
t h e popular nam e The t e rm H su an Chiao n e v e r came into
.

popular u se but by its adoption the Yu an d yna sty E mp e rors

,

we nt o n e ste p furth e r in the g lorification o f Lao Tzu by adding

th e ir approval to the canonization be stowe d upon him by the
T ang E mp e ror T ai Tsung and by using the canonize d nam e
’
,

to d e sig nate this r e lig ion Chao M eng fu was himse lf a d e

.
-

sce n d an t o f th e Imp e rial hou se o f S un g whi c h had place d Co n

,

fu ciu s upon the hig h e st p e de stal o f honour, r e co g nizin g him as

th e e qual o f H e ave n and E arth , but in the in scription fo r this

Taoist t e mpl e Chao e xhauste d his lit e rary vo cabulary in praise

,

o f Lao Tz u whom h e a sso ciat e d with t h e Y e llow E mp e ror a

, ,

pre de ce ssor and with the mag i cian Chang Tao ling , a su cce ssor
,
-
.

It will thu s b e se e n that the T ang dyna sty founde d Taoism,

’

and t he Y ii an dynasty stabilize d it .

Th e r e lation o f Taoism t o the mytholo g ical chara ct e rs o f

China with all th e ir fabulous de e ds and myste rious th e ori e s o f
t h e univ e r se is compl e t e
, I f we we re to de p e nd upon t he vi e ws
.

and re cords o f the S chool o f L e tte rs ( Ju Chia ) we sh o uld have

scant mate rial fo r we shoul d b e confin e d to the g re at name s
,

a ssociate d with the buildin g up o f an e stabli sh e d g ove rnm e nt,

and with the spre ad o f t he civilization institut e d and de ve lop e d
by th e m Studie s in Buddhi sm l e ad u s far afi e ld into the e arly
.

mytholog y o f India It is in Taoi sm as it n o w e xist s with its

.

a ssume d orig inal inspiration from the Ye llow E mp e ror, that

we find incorporat e d all t he m ytholo g ical charact e rs o f e arly
China and th e ir th e o ri e s of lif e an d the univ e rs e
,
.
 C H A P TE R II

T H E T H R E E E MP E R O R S
”

N account o f th e
myths o f China may rig htly take t he
Ye llow E mp e ror Huang Ti , as a ce ntral point o f d e
,

parture H e is the third o f the Thre e E mp e rors, San Huang

.
,

but is the first to whom a distinct p e r sonali ty is assig n e d The .

first E mp e ror Fu H si is a typ e o f the Huntin g Ag e o f the

, ,

e arly nomad trib e s which se ttl e d China Th e se cond E mp e ror

.
,

Sh én Nu n g typifi e s t he Ag ri cultural Ag e durin g which p e rma

,

n e nt se ttl e m e nts we re e stabli sh e d and ag ri cultural pursuits b e

cam e continuous It is only with the Ye llow E mp e ror that a
.

se mblance o f human individuality is a sso ciat e d with t he g re at

de e ds whic h broug ht about the be g inning o f Chin e se civiliza
tion Iii /H u an g Ti the re may be g ath e re d t he achi e ve m e nts
.

and g lori e s o f se ve ral in d ivi d uals whose nam e s ar e lo st, but at

l e a st in him we have a mytholo g ical charact e r as di sting ui sh e d
from t he g e n e ric nam e o f p e riods such as thos e o f En Hsi and

/
S h en Nu ng , who we re e ntire ly fabulous .

The Chronolog y o f the Han Dynasty ( H m L i Chi z) ,

carri e s the e arly chronolo g y o f China back to a p e riod o f more
than two million ye ars divide d int o te n g re at e po chs The
,
.

first o f th e se was inaug urat e d by P an Ku the first cre at e d b e

’

“
,

in g and also the first cre ator This e po ch was call e d that o f
.

The N in e S ove re i g n s ( Chiu Ti ) and was follow e d by the

e poch o f The Five Drag on s ( W u Lung ) who we re s e ve r
all y cal l e d e lde st s e c ond third fourth and youn e st Th e y
, , , g .

we re also g ive n t he nam e s o f the fiv e not e s o f the mu si cal scal e ,

and the nam e s o f the plane ts The third e po ch consist e d o f

.

fi fty n in e ge n e rations, t he fo u rt h o f thre e ge n e rations , t he fift h

-
26 CHI N E SE MYTH O L O GY
of six g e ne ratio ns and the sixth o f four g e n e rations, but n o
name s have be e n assig n e d to any rul e r in th e se four e pochs .

Th e s e ve nth e poch had tw e nty two sove r e ig ns whose virtue

-

was so c onspi cuou s that th e ir e xampl e was e ag e rly followe d by

t he m e n o f th e ir g e n e ration Th e e i g ht h e poch had thirt e e n
.

sove re i g ns , o f whom the s e cond was a rul e r in mode rn Sze

FIG .
4 . TH E TH R E E E M P E R O R S
HUA NG TI, FU H si AN D SHE N NU N G
chuan and th e r e taug ht the p e opl e to make silk In this e poch
we re two g e n e rations o f The Ne st builde rs ( Y u -

four g e n e rations o f The Fire produ ce r s —

( SU I and
e i g ht g e n e rations o f Accompli sh e rs ( Yun g The
ninth e po ch is a bridg e be twe e n the pure ly fanci ful and the r e al ,

and de rive s its nam e Shan T un g from its virtue in transmitting

’

t he su cce ssion to o ne who se action s ar e ba se d upon the fixe d laws

o f t he unive rs e
. The t e nth and last o f th e s e initiatory e pochs
 TH E TH R E E E MP E R O R S 27

is re p rese nte d as be gi nning with Huang Ti , the Ye llow E m

r and it variou sly e nde d e it e r with t h e Gre at Y fi found e r
p e r o , h ,

o f t he H sia d yna sty or with W u ,

t h e founde r o f th e Chow ,

d ynasty R e fe re n ce to th e se e pochs is mad e only fo r the pur

.

po se o f stating t he be li e f that the e arly myths o f the Chin e se .

,

as we now have th e m ar e t h e r e sult o f t h e work o f m e n d urin g

,

th e hi sto ri cal p e riod o f China , wh o g ath e r e d to g e th e r t he l e g

e nds folk lor e folk son g s and all oth e r availabl e data and
—
'

, , , ,

arran g e d th e m in such syste mati c form as would e xplain the

d e v e lopm e nt o f t he civilization found by th e m at th e b e g inning
o f t h e historical p e riod It will be noti ce d that th e se e po ch s e n d
.

with the Ye llow E mp e ror Huang Ti which is anoth e r re a son, ,

fo r taking him as t he c e ntral point o f d e parture fo r m yth o l o g i

cal studi e s N 0 histo ri cal cr e d e nce is attach e d by Chin e se writ
.

e r s to this period o f t h e te n e po ch s It is re cog nize d by all as .

e ntire ly fanci ful .

The Ye llow E mp e ror is re pute d t o have de rive d this d e sig

nation from having be e n born o n t he m a m Z day, whi ch corre .

sp o n d s t o t h e e l e m e nt E arth H e is al so sai d to have b e e n

.

awarde d the table t ( j u i ) by his pre de ce ssor Sh en Nu ng whi ch , ,

si g nifi e d that he po ss e sse d the Virtue o f E arth ( t u E arth ’

be ing ye llow in c olour he cam e to b e call ed the Ye llow E m

,

p e ro r His fa mily name was Kung sun and his g ive n name ,
.
—

H si e n yu an His fath e r was g ove rnor o f Y u hsiu ng whi ch is

-
.
-

t h e mo d e rn city o f Lo ya ng H e was a man o f uprig ht charac

—
.

t e r and his wi fe Eu p ao was an a ccompli sh e d woman who a c

, ,
-

compani e d him o n all h is voya e s

g W hil e th e y w e re Vi siting
.

t he t o mb s o f Fu H si and S h en N u n g on a spring e ve ning th e r e

,

app e are d in the ski e s a dazzling lig ht whi ch surrounde d the

c onst e llation o f t he Gre at B e ar with a cir cl e o f
g old Upon .

th e ir re turn hom e his wi fe found that she was pre g nant , and
a ft e r twe nty four months broug ht into the world a m al e child
-

, .

Th e re we re many wonde r ful om e n s at his birth the sk y de ck ,

ing it se l f with mo st be auti ful cl o uds From his youth the .

28 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
child app e are d to b e bl e ss e d with unusual qualiti e s o f mind
and body O n the de ath o f his fath e r, he succe e de d him as g o v
.

e r n o r o f t he principality o f Y u hsiun
g
-
. .

Th e country was ravag e d at that tim e by Ch ih Y u ag ainst

’
,

whom the Ye llow E mp e ror l e d t he Imp e rial force s o f Shén

Nun g to victory H e was th e n proclaim e d E mp e ror by th e
.

Prince s among whom he s e l e ct e d the most illustrious as his

,

Mini st e rs o f Stat e His consort Hsi ling Shih introduc e d the

.
,
-

c ultur e o f silk worms and t h e product ion of silk fabric

—
This .

is the histori cal basis a ssig n e d to thi s mythical characte r The .

oth e r in cide nts o f his life ar e r e corde d by Li e h T2 13 and by the

author of H u an g Ti P in g King S n W én The Ye llow E m
‘
.

p e ro r is suppos e d t o have g on e in dr e am s to distant r e g ions and

pla ce s inhabite d by spirits who walk o n air and sl e e p o n space as
if o n a be d Th e y n e ith e r sink in wate r nor burn in fire , and
.

live without pain o r sorrow or fe ar Afte r awaking from such

.

a dr e am o f thr e e month s duration , he taug ht the p e opl e ho w to

control the force s o f nature and th e ir o wn h e arts Afte r an .

oth e r long sl e e p he a cquire d t he powe r o f t e aching and g o v ,

e rn e d t he c ountry fo r twe nty s e ve n y e ar s with su ch su cc e ss that

-

it be cam e as happy as a fairyland in which the inhabitants in

hal e d air and sipp e d d e w inplace o f ordinary food Th e y we re . .

abl e to control all th e ir natural passions so that so cie ty live d ,

according to t he rul e s o f p e rfe ct virtue .

In the S n W én a conve rsation is r e corde d b e twe e n the Ye llow

‘

E mp e ror and Ch i Po con ce rning m e dicin e and natural sci e nce

’
.

The g ood man in most ancie nt tim e s accordin g to the dialo g ue ,

,

h e ld H e ave n and E arth in his hands and g ra sp e d the prin cipl e s

o f li ht and darkn e ss, br e athin g pur e air and pr e s e rvin g his
'

g
spirit in its p e rfe cti on , his fl e sh was obe di e nt to his Spirit .

H e n ce he was abl e to attain immortality like that o f H e av e n

and E arth This typ e o f g ood man be came an asce tic and care
.

fully pre s e rve d his soul so that he was abl e to wande r throug h
H e ave n and E arth fo r countl e ss ye ars The Ye llow E m p e ro r.
3o CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
a monst e r o f e normous h e ig ht playi n g o n the surface o f t he
wat e r Thi s monst e r had the body o f a horse scal e s o f a fish ,
.
,

an d also se v e ral fe e t The lo we r parts o f th e body w e re co v

.

e r e d with hair and o n its ba ck it carri e d a tabl e t

,
Fu H si spok e .

to it and b e g g e d it to com e up on the bank The monst e r im .

m e diat e ly compli e d with the re que st and Eu H si took po sse s ,

sion o f the tabl e t H e foun d fifty five line s which we re inte r

.
-

twin e d with fi g ure s H e carri e d the tabl e t to En S han wh e re

.

he studi e d it at his l e isur e and as a r e sult o f his studi e s he c o m

, ,

pos e d t he E ig ht Diag rams According to tradition it was Eu

.

Hsi who institut e d matrimony and forbade marriag e be twe e n ,

two p e opl e o f the sam e surname H e drove wild animal s o u t .

o f t he c ount r y and di sc ove r e d iron with which he mad e hunt ,

in g an d fi shin g impl e m e nts H e trave ll e d e astward th roug h

.

t he country which now is known as S hantun g Honan and ,

S h e n si H is capital city was at Ch én n e ar K ai fen g in Honan

.
’
,
’ -

Provin ce H e was the first to e stablish rul e s fo r writing and

.
,

to o ffe r sacrifice s to H e ave n o n an altar in t he op e n H is most .

c onspi cuou s work was how e v e r the discove ry o f the E ig ht

, ,

Diag ram s or p e rhaps it would be be tte r to say that the E ig ht

,

Diag rams as foun d in e xiste nc e at t he be g innin g o f the b istori

cal p e rio d o f China we re r e sponsibl e fo r the inve ntion o f the
,

m yth o f Eu Hsi .

S h en Nun g known as the E arthly E mp e ro r to di stin g uish

,

him from Eu H si the H e ave n ly E mp e ror re pre se nts the ag e

, ,

o f a g ri cultural pur suit s H e is r e p ute d t o have be e n born o n

.

t h e mountain Li e h in t he pr e se nt Provin ce o f Hup e h H e was .

e ig ht fe e t s e v e n inch e s in h e i ht and had t he body o f a m an

g ,

surmount e d b y t h e h e ad o f a bull Thre e days a ft e r he was .

born he could talk at the e n d o f fiv e days he could walk at the

, ,

e n d o f t h e s e v e nth h e had a full se t o f t e e th and at t h e ag e o f ,

thre e ye ars he was abl e t o till the fi e lds H e e stablish e d t he .

,

capital o f his kin d om at Ch ii Eu t he birthpla ce o f Con fu ciu s

’
g ,
.

H e is said to have inve nte d the cart and various typ e s of a g ri

 TH E TH R E E E MPER OR S 31
cultural impl e m e nts H e e stablish e d marke ts at which t he
.

products o f o n e part o f the country could b e e xchang e d with

those from oth e r parts H e studi e d plants and th e ir us e s in
.

curing d ise ase s o f the bo d y In o n e day h e d iscove re d se ve nty

.

kinds o f ve g e tabl e poi sons H e classifi e d thr e e hundr e d and

.

sixty fi v e sp e ci e s o f m e d i cinal plant s and wrot e a b oo k o n t h e m

— .

H e live d to the g re at ag e o f o n e hundre d and sixty e ig ht and -

the n be came an immortal .

Two oth e r mythi cal tal e s o f the p e riod o f the Thre e E m

p e r o rs n e e d to b e m e ntion e d O n e is that o
. f T s an g Chi e h t h e
’
,

l e g e ndary inve nto r o f the art o f writing who is said to have ,

had four e ye s H e de riv e d his first in spiration to inv e nt writ

.

ing from noti cin g the marks o f bir d s fe e t in sand and t he sp e ’

,

/
cial styl e o f an ci e nt chara ct e r s to t he numb e r o f fiv e hundr e d
,

an d for ty is known as bird foot print s writing ( n ia o c i i

’

—
,
‘
wén ) . The oth e r is th at o f Na Ku a who is said to have b e e n
t h e sist e r an d su cce ssor o f Eu H si The two charact e rs o f which
.

he r nam e is compose d naturally l e ad t o t he surmis e that she was

a woman t houg h som e e arly traditions d iscard the s e e ming im
”

plication o f the nam e and asse rt that Nii Ku a was a man The
,
.

inte rtwining o f he r body with that o f En H si o n the bas re li e f —

o f W u Liang Tz u su g g e sts e ith e r that t he two w e r e broth e r

’

and sist e r or husband and wi fe A third po ssibl e e xplanation

, .

whi ch se e ms to m e n e are r t he truth is that Eu H si was a ssiste d

/
during his re ig n by his si st e r Nii Ku a In t h e Ti W an g Shin .

C zi it is stat e d that N ii Ku a had the body o f a s e rp e nt and t he

h e ad o f an o x S he institut e d marriag e ce re monie s and a ssist e d
.

//
/
he r broth e r Eu Hsi in invocation o f t he g ods The stat e m e nts .

o f t h e S i i z C zi are that N u Ku a had t h e e ndowm e nt s o f a

d ivin e sag e and succe e de d h e r broth e r Eu Hsi as sove re ig n .

Towa rd the e n d o f he r re ig n o n e o f the fe udal prince s Kung ,

Kun g r e b e ll e d an d soug ht to ove rthrow t he influ e n ce o f Nii

,

Ku a H e was d e fe at e d in battl e wh e r e upon he stru ck his h e ad

.
,

ag ainst t he P u chou Mountain and raze d it to t he g round This

-
.
32 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
shook the pillars o f H e ave n and de stroye d the corn e rs of the
E arth . In orde r to re pair the damag e to the h e ave n s Nii Ku a
,

m e lt e d ston e s o f fiv e c olours and cu t o ff the fe e t o f the tortois e

in orde r to re place t he four corn e rs o f the E arth S he burne d
.

r e e d g rass to ash e s whic h she us e d for stopping g re at floods ,

and thus r e s cu e d t he land o f Ch i , which was the hom e o f the

’

l at e r sove r e i g ns of China .

In this chapt e r I have followe d the writt e n r e cords in class

in g Fu Hsi Sh én Nun g and Huan g Ti as the Thre e E mp e rors
,
.

The bas re li e fs o f W u Lian g Tz u hav e a di ffe re nt cl assifica

-
’

tion Eu Hsi and Nu Ku a tog e th e r form t he first pan e l Chu

.
,

Jung occupi e s the n e xt and the third is that o f Shén Nung

, ,

Huang Ti b e ing assig n e d a l at e r pl ace amon g t he Five Sov

e re ig n s . This dive rg e n ce in the t wo lists o f t he Thre e Em
e ro rs is thus s e e n t o have b e e n curre nt in t he Han dynasty b u t
p ,

as t he li st whi ch I have adopt e d b e cam e t he usually acce p t e d o n e

in lat e r dyn astie s it has s e e m e d wis e to di scard my usual m e thod

,

o f pr e fe r r in g th e e vid e nc e o f e xi stin g monum e nts to that o f

books and to adopt the g e n e rally acce pte d list

,
.
 C H A P TER III

O TH E R P R E H IS T O R IC E MP E R O R S

S Fu H S Isymbolize d t he Ag e o f Huntin g Sh en Nung ,

tha t o f Ag ri culture and Huang Ti that o f Inve ntio n so

, ,

the Gre at Y ao and Shun ar e t he l e g e ndary m o d e ls fo r an I m

p e rial rul e base d o n rig ht e ousne ss Th e se ar e the two e arly

.

sove re ig ns whom Confucius taug ht his countrym e n to r e g ard as

t he mode l rul e rs whose virtu e s w e re re spl e nde nt to all g e n e ra

tions The Sna Kin g says that Y ao was unive rsally informe d,
.

int e llig e nt , accompli sh e d and thoug htful and that his g lory
,

fill e d the e mpire The comm e ntary o f the annals o f t he

.

Bamboo Books ( Clzn S i m) stat e s that wh e n Yao had b e e n

E mp e ror s e ve nty y e ars , a brilliant star app e are d in o n e o f t he
h e ave nlyconste llations, and pho e nixe s we re s e e n in t he court
ya rds o f the palace ; p e arl g rass g re w and g rain was abundant ;
swe e t de ws moist e n e d the g round and crystal spring s i ssue d from
t he hill s ; t he sun and moon app e are d like a pair o f g e ms and

t he fiv e plan e ts looke d like thr e ad e d p e arls In the Imp e rial

.

ki tch e n a pi e ce o f fl e sh was s e e n which was as thin as a fan .

This wh e n shake n made such a wind that all e atabl e s w e re

, ,

ke pt cool and did not S poil O n e ach side o f t he palace st e ps

.
-

g re w a kind o f g rass which produc e d o n e pod e ach day up t o

t he fift e e nth o f t he month O n e ach following day o f the
.

month o n e p o d shrive ll e d up but did not fall This was calle d

,
.

the lucky b e an also th e cal e ndar be an

,
Th e re was a g re at flood
.

which was assuag e d by the E mp e ror but he attribute d the me rit

,

o f his work t o his Minist e r Shun in who se favour he wish e d to

,

re si g n O n account o f the flood he faste d and purifi e d himse lf,

.

building al tars ne ar the two rive rs H o and L o , afte r which he

34 CHI NE SE MYTH O L O GY
s e l e ct e d a fortunat e day and conduct e d Shun and oth e r follo w
e r s up th e S hou Mountain On the island o f the H o fiv e Old
.
,

m e n w e r e s e e n walking about Th e s e we re the spirits O f t he

.

fi ve plan e ts Th e y c onve r se d to g e th e r and said : Th e H O T u

.
’

will soon app e ar and in form t he E mp e ror o f an auspicious time .

H e who unde rstands this is Huan g Yao , e ach o f whose e ye s has

FI G .
5
. G O DD E S S OF TH E Lo , Lo S H E N
”
two pupils . Th e r e upon the fiv e Old m e n fl e w away like float
in g stars and a sce nd e d into t he const e llation Mao ( Pl e iade s ) .

O n the Hsin ch ou day o f the se cond month be twe e n dayl ig ht

-
’
,

and dark the ce re moni e s we re all pre pare d W h e n the day

,
.

b e g an to de clin e a g lorious lig ht cam e forth from t he H O R ive r ,

and be autiful vapours fill e d all the horizon ; whit e clouds rose
in the Sk y and a drag on horse app e are d b e arin g in his mouth a
-

cuirass cove re d with scal e s with re d line s on a g re e n g round

,
.
 O TH ER PR E HI S T O R I C E MP E R O R S 35

Thi s drag on horse asce nd e d the altar laid down the t draw
-

,
’ -

ing an d d e parte d
,
Th e cuirass was like a tortoi se sh e ll nin e
.

cubit s broad The t n contain e d a tally Of whit e g e m in a caske t

.
’

O f r e d g e m c ove re d with ye llow g ol d and bound with a g r e e n

strin g O n the tally we re the words ; Grat e fully pre s e nte d to

.

t he E mp e ror S hun
”
It al so sa id that Y 6 and Hsia would b e the
. .

re cipie nts o f sp e cial orde rs from H e ave n The E mp e ror wrote .

down th e se word s and de posite d th e m in the e ast e rn palace .

Afte r two ye ars durin g the s e cond month he l e d his Ministe rs

, ,

to the Lo Ri ve r into whi ch he thre w a round di sk Aft e r t he .

ce re mony he r e st e d and wait e d fo r the clos e O f the day th e n a ,

re d li g ht app e ar e d , a tortoi se aros e from t h e wat e r s with a writ

in g in r e d lin e s o n its ba ck and r e st e d o n t he altar This writ

,
.

in g said that he should r e si g n the thron e t o Shun and a ccord

“
,

in g ly t he E mpe ror d id so This is a variant a ccount O f t he

.

” ”
orig in O f the t u and l o 51m i e , o f the g raphic arts
’
,
. .

o f painting and c alli g raphy .

It is said O f S hun in the S i m Kin g that he was in a low and

undisting uish e d po sition wh e n Yao h e ar d Of his g r e at in te lli
g e n ce and first prove d him in many d ifli cu lt situations with the
ide a Of m aking him succe ssor to t he thron e The Bamboo ,

Books stat e that he had a miraculous birth H is e ye s, like .

tho se o f Yao had doubl e pupils fo r which re ason he was

, ,
”
known as Doubl e Brig htne ss H e had a counte nan ce like a
.

drag on a larg e mouth and a black body His pare nts d islik e d
,
.

him Th e y made him plast e r a g ranary and th e n se t fir e to it ;

.
,

but the bird made clothing which he wore e nabl e d him to fly

-

away Th e y put him in a w e ll to d ig it de e p e r and th e n at

.
,

t e mpt e d to fill it with ston e s from above ; but o n this occa sion
he wore drag on made clothin g and was abl e t o g e t o u t Lat e r
-
.

he dr e amt that his e ye brows w e r e as lon g as his hair .

O n t he acce ssion o f Shun the lu cky b e an g re w about t he

,

stairs , and pho e nixe s n e st e d in the courts W h e n the musical .

ston e s we re be at e n in the nin e ce r e monial p e rformance s all the

36 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
be ast s came frolicking o n e afte r the oth e r, and a brilliant star
app e are d In the fourt e e nth y e ar o f his r e i gn , at a g r e at p e r
.

fo rm an ce with be lls r e sonant ston e s , org ans and flute s be fore

, ,

the s e rvic e was conclude d th e re ca m e a g r e at storm Of thunde r

and rain A viol e nt wind ove rthre w house s and tore up tre e s
. .

The d rum sticks and drums we re scatte re d o n the g round an d

-

th e b e lls and ston e s dash e d about in c on fusion The danc e rs

.

fe ll prostrat e and t he dir e ctor o f mu sic ran madly away ; but

Shun k e e ping hold o f the fram e s from which t he be lls and
,

ston e s we r e susp e nde d, laug h e d and said : H OW e vide nt it

is that t he E mpire do e s n o t be long to o n e man Thi s is in
.

”
dicate d by th e s e be lls ston e s org ans and flut e s
, ,
Th e re upo n
.

h e pr e s e nt e d Y ii to H e ave n and made him p e rform c e re moni e s

such as are unde rtake n o nly by an E mp e ror 5 th e n harmonious
vapours re sponde d o n all S ide s and f e licitous clouds we re se e n .

Th e y w e re like smok e and ye t we re not smoke ; we re like

clouds and ye t we re n o t clouds ; th e y we re brilliantly confuse d,
twisting and whirling The Office rs in mutual harmony sang o f
.

th e s e fe licitous clouds, t he E mp e ror l e ading t he chorus and

saying : H OW bri g ht are ye , f e licitous clouds ! In what g ood
orde r ar e ye g ath e re d tog e th e r ! The brig htne ss o f the su n
and moon is r e p e ate d frdm morn to morn ‘
”
Al l the ministe rs
.

th e n cam e fo rward, and bowing l o w said : Brilliant are t he

h e ave ns above wh e re t he shining stars are arrang e d The
, .

”
brig htn e ss Of the su n and moon e nnoble o u r E mp e ror The
.

E mp e ror th e n a g ain san g : The sun and moon ar e constant ;

t he stars and oth e r h e ave nly bodi e s have th e ir motions 5 t he fou r

se asons Obse rve th e ir rul e The p e opl e are since re in all th e ir

.

s e rvice s W h e n I think o f music, the int e lli g e nce s that re

.

sp o n d to H e av e n s e e m to b e transf e rre d t o t he sag e s and the

worthie s All thin g s liste n to it How thrilling are its rolling

. .

sounds ! H o w do e s it inspire the danc e ! W h e n the g re at

brig htn e ss was e xhaust e d, t he clouds shrive ll e d up and d isap
p e are d . Th e r e upon t he e ig ht winds all bl e w g e nially and
38 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
u r ian t Gre e n drag on s w e r e s e e n and from the L O cam e the
.
,
”
writing o n the sh e ll O f the torto ise call e d The Gr e at Plan .

Th e re is anoth e r myth c once rning Y ii which must not be

om itt e d W hil e he was on his way south , in the middl e o f t he
.

rive r which he was crossing two ye llow d rag ons took the boat ,

o n th e ir backs Al l who w e r e with him w e re a fraid but Y il

.
,

laug h e d and sai d : I r e ce ive d my appointm e nt from H e ave n

and labour with all my stre ng th t o b e n e fit man To b e born is .

t he course o f natur e , t o d ie is by H e ave n s d e cr e e

’
W hy b e .

troubl e d by the drag o ns P H e aring this the drag ons w e nt

away trailing th e ir tails b e hind th e m
, .

Th e n e xt o f the g r e at E m p e rors was the founde r o f the

S hang dyna sty H e is call e d T ang or Ch éng T ang i e
.
’
,
’ ’
,
. .
,
”
T an g the Succe ssful
’
H is family is r e pute d to hav e b e e n
.

o f an ci e nt d e s ce nt and b e fore his Own mira culous birth th e re

,

had be e n at an e arli e r tim e anoth e r instan ce o f this miracl e It .

is said that t he lowe r part o f his face was broad and that the ,

upp e r part tap e re d to a point His face was white and whi sk .

e r e d his body was larg e r o n o n e side than o n t he oth e r and

, ,

his Voice was loud H e was nin e f e e t hig h and e ach o f his
.
,

W h e n he cam e e ast to Lo to se e t he altar

'

a rms had four j oints .

that had be e n e r e ct e d by Yao he dropp e d a g e m in t he wat e r ,

a n d stood at som e di stanc e Imm e diat e ly ye llow fi sh e s l e ap e d

.

up in pairs A black bird followe d him and stood o n the altar

.
,

wh e re it was chang e d into a black g e m Th e r e was also a black .

tortois e with r e d lin e s forming ide ographs which said that t he ,

H si a E mp e ror Chi e h Ku e i, was a man o f low principl e s and

, ,

that T ang should sup e rs e de him A spirit drag g in g a whit e

’
.

wolf with a hook in its mouth e nt e re d the court o f the n e w dy ,

nasty Shang whi ch T ang was call e d upon to found During

’
,
.

his re ig n S ilve r O ve rfl o we d from t he hills and all m e tals we re ,

pl e nti ful .

The Shang dynasty continu e d fo r a p e riod e stimate d to have

b e e n about S ix hundre d y e ars It produce d no out standin g fig .
 O TH E R PR E HI S T OR I C E MP E R OR S 39

ur e s aroun d whom mythi cal tal e s could b e wove n Its be st .

known fi g ur e is the tyrant Chou Hsin who se crue lty broug ht ,

about its down fall H is crue l de e d s are notorious in lat e r his

.

tori e s H e is re pr e s e nt e d as a man g i ft e d with sharp s e ns e s

.
,

e xtraordinary m e ntal ability and g r e at phy sical str e n g th

. H is .

wide knowl e dg e e nabl e d him to mak e lig ht O f the fre que nt

r e mon strance s mad e to him by his Mini st e rs and his e loqu e nce ,

e nabl e d him t o g loss Ove r his o wn V 1c10u s a cts H e con stantly .

boast e d O f his ability and atte mpt e d to in cre a se t he re putation

,

O f his E mpir e by g ivin g promin e n ce to h is o wn wond e r ful

d e e ds H e was d e vot e d to win e and de bau ch e ry and was in

.
,

fatu at e d by his c on sort Ta chi to whom h e l e nt a W i lling e ar

,
—
,
.

The d e e ds o f this woman are r e cord ed with t he e vide nt purpo se

/
O f t e a chin g th e folly o f an E mp e ror s yi e ldin g to t he influ e n ce
’

o f a d e b au cH ed woman The S zn Kin g says that she was S ham e

.

l e ssly lust ful and cr ue l 5 t he most lice ntious song s w e re c o m

po se d fo r he r amuse m e nt and the vil e st d an ce s e xhibite d A
,
'
.

palace was e re ct e d fo r he r at Ch i with a famou s t e rrace two

’
,

third s of a mi l e in width surroun d e d by a park whi ch was

’

sto cke d with t he rare st animals The e xp e nditur e s fo r the

.

build in g O f this palace made n e ce ssary h e avy e xa ction s whi ch

provoke d t he re se ntm e nt o f the p e opl e At Sha ch iu whi ch .
-
’
,

is t he mod e rn d i stri ct o f P ing h siang in t he Provinc e O f Chihli

’ —
,

th e re was still g r e at e r e xtravag an ce and dissipation Th e r e was .

a pond O f win e and the tre e s we r e hun g with human fl e sh 5 m e n

,

an d wom e n cha se d e a c h oth e r about quit e nak e d In t he palace .

th e re w e re pla ce s wh e r e larg e parti e s sp e nt the whol e nig ht

d rinking and carousi ng W h e n th e s e e xce sse s broug ht about
.

re b e llion by the prin ce s the E mpre ss Ta chi prot e st e d that t he

,
-

maj e sty O f the thron e was n o t b e in g maintain e d that puni sh ,

m e nts we re to o lig ht and e xe cutions too in fre qu e nt She th e r e .

for e de vi se d t wo new in strum e n ts o f tortur e o n e of th e se was ,

”
call e d t he h e at e r an d consist e d O f a pi e ce o f m e tal made hot
,

in a fire which p e opl e we re force d to take up in th e ir han d s

, .
4O CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
The oth e r was a copp e r pillar cove r e d with g r e ase laid an d

above a pit o f live charcoal Culprit s we r e comp e ll e d to walk

.

a cro ss this pillar and wh e n th e ir fe e t S lipp e d and th e y f e ll into

th e fir e Ta chi was g re atly de lig ht e d
,
-
This puni shme nt was
.

”
c all e d roasting Th e se fe arful e normiti e s cause d t he whol e
.

E mpire to be fill e d with indi g nation O n e o f t he worst in

.

stance s O f Chou s crue lty was his tre at ’

m e nt Of Pi Kan Pi Kan was a re la .

tive o f the tyrant and b e ing a man Of ,

g ood charact e r , re mon st rat e d wi th

Chou upon the de bauch e ry Of t he
court Chou be cam e v e ry ang ry and
.
'

orde re d the h e art O f Pi Kan to b e torn

out saying that he had always h e ard
,

that the h e art o f a man o f sup e rior

virtue had se ve n orifice s and that he
wish e d to se e wh e th e r o r n o t his r e la
tive Pi Kan was what he claim e d to b e .

During the re ig n O f Chou Hsin the

small principality o f Chow cam e into
p romin e nce and the Duke O f Chow,
,

canonize d as W én W ang l e d in the ,

re be llion which ove rthr e w the Shang

dynasty The site Of this pri nci pality
.

IFG 6 . p KAN
. , Of Ch ow was in the vicinity o f the
pre se nt city o f Hsi an , c apital o f -

Sh e nsi Province The young e r so n Of the Duke o f Chow b e

.

cam e the first sove re ig n o f the n e w dynasty which took its name
from this small prin cipality H e is known in history as W u
.

W an g As mi g ht be e xp e ct e d tradition has wove n many won

.
,

d e r fu l tal e s around this founde r o f a dynasty which is con

sid e re d by t he Chin e s e as mor e r e sponsibl e than any oth e r fo r

its wide Spre ad civilization

-
.

The ance stry o f W u W ang is trace d back to the Emp e ror Kao
 O TH E R PR E HIST O R IC E MP E R OR S

Hsin, whos e wi fe be came a moth e r in a miraculous manne r

'

Aft e r the birth o f he r child she de ci d e d to make away with him

,

and l e ft him in a narrow lan e , bu t the child was att e n d e d by

sh e e p and cattl e so that he did n o t d ie She th e n place d him in
.

a for e st wh e re h e was att e nde d by a wood cutt e r and his lif e -

pre se rve d She th e n laid himupon Ice i n th e rive r, but a larg e

_
‘

bird cam e and cove re d him with o n e o f its wing s Finally the .

moth e r made no furthe r att e mpts to d ispose o f t he child but ,

nurs e d him and broug ht him up g ivin g him the name Of Ch i

,
’

”
or Castaway The lowe r part Of thi s child s face was unduly
.
’

de ve lop e d and his app e aran ce was ve ry e xtraord inary W h e n

,
.

he g re w up he b e cam e Minist e r of Ag riculture to the E mp e ror

Y ao and r e nd e r e d g re at s e rvice t o t h e p e opl e .

The n e xt ste p in the wonde rful an ce stry o f W u W ang is co n

n e cte d with Kun g Liu , g randson o f
”
Castaway His virtue s
’

we re so g re at that he was tre at e d by t he prince s with the sam e

c e re moni e s as w e re the rig ht o f an E mp e ro r Thirte e n g e n e r .

atio n s aft e r Kun g Liu a lin e al de sce n d ant Chi Li , was born
, ,
.

It is state d that his birth had b e e n fore told as far back as the ,

tim e O f Huang Ti wh e n a proph e cy had be e n pro claim e d that

,

the chi e f O f t h e northwe st S hould b e com e king in a c e rtain

ye ar 5 Ch ang should lay t he foundations o f king ly dig nity Fa

’
,

e xe rci se t he judg m e nts n e c e s sary to it and Tan d e ve lop its

,
”
principl e s .This Ch an g whose birth had b e e n fore told, was
’

the so n Of Chi Li and was aft e rwards kn own as W én W ang ;

'

Fa, son Of Ch ang b e cam e W u W ang the founde r of the Chow

’
, ,

dynasty and Tan be cam e Chow Kung i e Duke Of Chow

, ,
. .
, .

From this account it will b e se e n that both proph e cy and miracl e

are call e d in t o account fo r t he ance stry O f this illustrious

founde r o f a g re at dyn asty .

W u W ang s fath e r, W en W ang is de scrib e d as a man with

’
,

a drag on s count e nance and a tig e r s S houlde rs

’ ’
H e was t e n .

fe e t in h e ig ht and had four nippl e s o n his ch e st H e b e cam e .

chi e f Of the W e st, Hsi P O and made his capital city in Fén g
, .
4 2 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
Fén g was the most important ce ntre o f the duke dom Of Chow,
an d t he lo cation o f t h e capital o f China r e main e d i n i ts V i cm i t
y
fo r many ce nturi e s It was t he capital at the dawn o f Chin e se
.

auth e ntic hi stori cal r e cords and this a ccount o f its having be e n
,

chose n by the founde r o f the Chow dynasty may b e acce pt e d

e ith e r as ve rbal tradition o r as a lit e rary inve ntion at the tim e
,

wh e n the first re cords w e re made .

TO ad d g re at e r dig nity to the anc e stry O f W u W an g , many

oth e r tal e s are r e corde d o f his fath e r W en W ang the Duke , ,

O f Chow and h is moth e r T ai S su

,
’
,
O n an autumn day a r e d
.

bird cam e to the capital with a writing in its b e ak which it put

down at t he Duke s door H e re ce ive d it with r e ve re n ce and
’
.

foun d that the writing was to t he e ffe ct that Chow should d e

stroy the ex isting dyna sty Th e Duk e was about to g o o u t o n a
.

huntin g e xp e d ition and was told by o n e of the att e ndants that

,

o n his trip h e woul d not s e cur e a g rizzly b e ar , but would b e as

sist e d by divin e coun se l The hunting party w e nt o n its tour

.

and found on the bank a m an fi shing call e d L ii S hang ( Tai

'

W ang Kun g ) The Duke said to him that he had b e e n wanting

to m e e t him for s e ve n ye ars L ii Shang h e aring th e se words
.

instantly chang e d his nam e , and sp e aking o f hi mse lf as W ang

or Hop e r e plie d that he had fish e d up a se mi circular g e m
”
,
-

o n whi ch was an inscription statin g that Ch an g whi ch was the

’
,

Duk e s p e rsonal nam e would com e and re ce ive t he g e m This

’
,
.

was an om e n that a dynasty should be e stablish e d by his son

Anoth e r tale told O f W u W ang s fath e r is that he dr e amt he
’

was cloth e d with the su n and moon In the first month of

.

S pring t he fiv e plan e ts w e r e in conj unction A mal e and a fe .

mal e pho e nix we nt about the capital city with a writin g in th e ir

be aks whi ch said : Th e E mp e ror has no principl e s H e o p .

pre s se s the p e opl e and has broug ht d isorde r to the E mpire H e .

can b e tol e rat e d no lon g e r by H e ave n The powe rful spirits .

O f t he e arth have d e se rt e d him The conjunction O f the five

.

”
plan e ts will brig ht e n all within the four s e as This myth adds .
 O TH ER PR E HI ST OR I C E MP E R O R S 43

astrolo g y to the two pre vious myth s o f proph e cy and miracl e in

the ac count o f t he an ce stry o f W u W an g .

W u W ang hims e l f is sai d to have had a r e markable app e ar

an ce H is upp e r and lowe r rows Of t e e th we re e ach only o n e
.

pi e ce Of bon e and he had the re stl e ss e ye s Of a sh e ph e rd

,
.

W h e n h e was cro ssing the R iver Méng a whit e fish l e ap e d into

his boat i n t he middl e o f the str e am H e stoop e d down and
.

picke d it up, It was thre e fe e t in l e ng th , and unde r its e ye s

w e re r e d lin e s whi ch form e d t he charact e rs Chou H sin may
b e smitt e n .
” O ver t he t o p o f th e se un favourabl e charact e rs
”
th e King wrot e the o ne charact e r m e anin g dynasty an d im ,

me d iat e ly t he oth e r words disapp e are d Afte r this he burn e d .

the fish in sacrifice and announ ce d t he e ve nt to H e ave n At .

once fir e came down from H e ave n but the fir e g radually ,

float e d away iri space and be cam e a r e d bird with a stalk o f g rain
’

i n i ts b e ak
. Thi s g rain was take n as a propitious om e n fo r the
pro sp e rity o f the country and the fir e as a dire ct r e sponse to the
,

praye r Of the n e w E mp e ror Aft e r thi s h e we nt to the e ast and

.

conque re d t he whol e country without diffi culty S O e asily was .

this accomplish e d that it is said that his soldie rs did n o t n e e d to

stain th e ir swords with blood fo r the h e art s o f the p e opl e
,

turn e d to him re cog nizing him as a virtuo us and nobl e rule r

,
.

Crops we re abundant and t he fore st suppli e d timbe r fo r the

buil d ing o f an Imp e rial palace .

W h e n W u W ang di e d his succe ssor Ch en g W ang was still

,
’
, ,

young and Tan Duke o f Chow, act e d as re g e nt fo r s e ve n ye ars

, , .

H e e stabli sh e d the institutions and mu si c o f the n e w dyn asty .

Spirit like birds and pho e nixe s a pp e are d and the myst e rious
—

be an ag ain g re w The r e g e nt we nt with the n e w Kin g to visit

.

the H O an d L O rive rs Having d ropp e d a g e m into the wat e r

.

an d fi ni sh e d all t he c e r e moni e s t he Kin r e tir e d and wait e d

g ,

until the day de clin e d Th e n rays o f g l ory shon e o u t and

.

shroude d all the H O and g re e n clouds float e d in the sky The

,
.

g re e n drag on came to the altar carryin g in its mouth a dark

,
44 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
colour e d sh e ll with a fig ure o n it which he place d o n the a ltar
,

and w e nt away O n t he sh e ll in r e d lin e s we re ide og raphs

.

which the re g e nt copi e d The writing was proph e tic of the ris e
.

and fall of the fortun e s o f t he E mpire down to t he dynasty o f fl

Ch in and Han The King took a lut e an d co m p o se d a song in

’
.

whi ch he humbly state d that h e p e rsonally had no Virtue which

would warrant the app e arance o f the pho e nixe s, and that th e ir
pre se nce was d u e e ntire ly to the vi rtue Of the forme r king s
whos e influe nce still e xte nde d to the home s Of his humbl e st
subj e cts

“
.

It is not n e c e ssary to discuss the many d ifl e re n ce s o f the ac

”
counts found in t he Bamboo Books and those o f the S i m
King Th e s e r e lat e chi e fly to chronolo g ical data and t o the nar
.

r at iv e conc e rnin g th e g ove rnm e nt Of Shun and t he labours o f

Y ii From t he standpoint Of mytholo g y t he g re at e st d ifl e re n ce

’
’

.
,

is in the ful l e r a cc ounts o f sup e rnatural and marve llo u s e ve nts

”
r e corde d in t he Bamboo Books In his r e daction o f the S i m
.

Kin g Con fu cius par e d th e se down o r e ntire ly e liminat e d th e m

“
, ,

in accordance with his o wn disbe li e f in the myst e rious The .

”
Bamboo Books, in common with the I King e mphasize d ,

sup e rnatural e ve nts and have pre se rve d to po ste rity the ancie nt
myths S O e ss e ntial t o an unde rstanding o f the curr e nt be li e fs
,

o f lat e r tim e s .

NO be tt e r illustration Of the e xtraordinary dive rg e nce o f

vi e ws during the anc i e nt days o f China could be found than in
contrastin g the cont e nts o f the B oo k Of Chang e s ( 1 King ) ,
attribute d to W én W ang the fath e r o f the founde r o f the
,

Chow dyna sty with the Gli o m L i attribut e d to Chow Kung ,

, ,

fourth so n o f W en W ang The I Kin g is a book o f occulti sm

.
‘
.

”
In it the p a i ma o r E ig ht Diag rams are e xpande d into sixty ,

four e ach o f the ori g inal E ig ht Diag rams b e ing compose d o f

,

continuous o r broke n lin e s o r a combination Of th e m Th e y

, .

we re use d fo r t he inte rpre tation o f om e ns in the rit e s of divina

tion From this book have sp rung all the myst e rious inve sti
.
 C H A P TE R IV

I N T E R MIXTU R E O F E A R L Y R E L IG I O U S
B E L I E FS

HE int e rmixtur e in China o f e arly b e li e fs is we ll illu s

t rate d by t he j ad e Obj e ct s pr e sc rib e d fo r t he Mast e r Of

R e li g ious Ce r e moni e s in t h e Ch o w L i as th e s e obj e cts ar e int e r

“
,

t d by Dr B e rthol d Laufe r in t he fi fth c hapt e r Of his book

p r e e .

”
on Jade . Th e re we re S ix j ade Obj e cts with whi ch homag e
was paid to H e ave n to E arth and to the Four Points o f the
, ,

Compass W ith t he round tabl e t, p i of g re e n colour, h o mag e

.
,
-

was paid to H e ave n W ith t h e y e llow j ad e tube , ts n n g hom

.
’
,

ag e was paid to E arth W ith t he g re e n tabl e t i mai homag e

.
, ,

was paid to the r e g ion O f the E a st W ith the r e d tabl e t chang

.
, ,

homag e was r e nde r e d to the r e g ion Of the S outh W ith the .

whit e tabl e t ha homag e was paid to the re g ion o f t he W e st

, ,
.

W ith the bla ck j a d e o f se mi circular S hap e hu an g homag e was

-

, ,

paid to the r e g ion O f t he North The colo u r o f the vi ctims and

.

O f t he pi e ce s O f silk u se d in sacrific e s to t he spirit s O f th e se se v

e ral r e g ions corr e sponde d to that o f the j ad e us e d fo r th e se

purpos e s .

The comm e ntary o f t he Cho w L i adds de finite inst ructions

con ce rning the placing of th e s e j ade Obj e cts in the coffin s Of de
ce ase d m e mb e rs o f the Imp e rial house W h e n the body was .

place d in t he coffin the g re e n tabl e t hn e i was to t he l e ft and a

, ,

d ivide d tabl e t at t he h e ad The whit e tabl e t ha was to t he

.
, ,

rig ht and the s e mi circular o n e hu an g at the fe e t The round

,
-

, ,
.

tabl e t p i was to b e place d unde r the back and the j ade tube ,
, , ,

t r nn g o n the abdom e n
’
,
In this way th e re was a r e pre s e ntation
.
 E AR LY R E LIGI O U S B E LI E FS 47

o f the brilliant cube fang m ing whi ch se rve s as an e mbl e m in

,
-

the sacrific e s The round disk pi and t he squar e tub e , ts u n g

.
, ,
’
,

we re by th e ir se p aration symboli cal Of H e ave n an d E arth The .

intimat e co re lation be twe e n the j ade Obj e ct s use d in the p r e

-

scribe d re ligi ous ce re monie s and in the burial o f the de ad, is

re adily re cog nize d .

Th e r e fe re nc e s o f the Cho w L i to th e se symbolic j ade Obj e cts

ar e in compl e t e accor d with o u r knowl e dg e O f t he u se o f bronze

ve s se l s fo r re lig ious wor ship Th e s e ve sse l s we re use d in fam

.

ily and national worship In both instance s th e y w e r e associ

.

ate d with an ce stral worship whi ch accord ing to the S i m Kin g

, , ,

had its orig in in t he tim e s o f the mythi cal E mp e rors Le g g e .

points o u t that the titl e g ive n in the S hn Kin g to the Mini ste r
o f R e li g ion in t he tim e o f t h e E mp e ror S hun is that o f Ar
/
”
rang e r Of thE A n ce stral Te mpl e The rul e o f Con fucius that
.

par e nts wh e n de ad shoul d be sacrifi ce d to according to pro

”
p r ie ty, was doubtl e ss in accor d anc e with t he practi ce that had
c om e down from t he e arli e st tim e s O f t he nation The spirits .

O f t he d ep art e d w e r e s uppo se d to hav e a knowl e dg e o f the cir

cu m st an ce s o f th e ir d e sc e n d ant s and to b e abl e to a f

fe ct th e m .

E ve nts O f importan ce in a family we re communi cat e d to t he

d e parte d S pirits b e for e th e ir shrin e s ; many afi airs o f g ove rn
m e nt we re tran sact e d in pre se nce o f the an ce stral tabl e t W h e n .

Yao turn e d ove r to S hun the b usin e ss Of g ove rnm e nt t he ce re ,

mony took place in the Te mpl e o f the Accomplish e d An ce s

.

”
to r ,
to whom Yao g ave the c r e dit for his po sse ssion O f the
supre m e dig nity During the li fe of Yao Shun on e ve ry r e
.
,

turn to the capital from his visits Of admini stration throug hout
t he country o ffe r e d a bullo ck also b e for e t h e shrin e o f this
,

p e rsonag e In the sam e way wh e n Shun found the busin e ss o f

“
.

g ove rnm e nt too h e avy fo r him and call e d Y ii to share in it the

’

, ,

ce re mony took pla ce in t he Te mpl e o f the Spiritual An ec s

”
t he chi e f in t he lin e O f S hun s pro g e nitors In t he re
’
to r , .

markable narrative conce rning the praye r Of Tan the Duke o f ,

48 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
Chow, fo r the re cove ry o f his broth e r W u W ang from a dan
g e r o u s illn e ss ,
and Of his O f
f e rin g to di e in his broth e r s st e ad,
’

he rai se s thr e e altars , o n e e ach to th e ir fath e r g randfath e r and

,

g r e at g randfath e r and prays to th e m as if th e y in H e ave n had

-

charg e o f watchin g ov e r th e ir d e s ce ndant W h e n he has ascer

.

t ain e d by d ivination that W u W an g will r e cove r, he de clare s

that this e xt e nsion o f t he t e nure Of the thron e has b e e n r e n e we d

by the int e rve ning m e rits O f th e thre e an ce sto rs who had con
s e nt e d to the continuity o f t he ruling House The E mp e ror
. .

P an Keng 14 0 1 1 37 3 B C irritate d by t he Opposition o f the

‘
’ —
. .
, ,

we althy an d pow e rful fe udal monarchs t o his m e asure s, and by

th e ir stirring up the p e opl e to complain ag ain st him, thre at e ne d
th e m all with calamiti e s which would b e s e nt down upon th e m
by his g re at ance stor T an g H e told his Ministe rs that th e ir
,
’
.

ance stors and fath e rs who had loyally se rve d his pre de ce ssors,
,

we re n o w urg e ntly e ntre atin g T ang , in his spirit s tate in

’ -

He ave n to se nd s e ve r e p u nishme nts o n th e ir de scendants

, .

Th e inscriptions o n bronze v e ss e ls o f t he S hang and Chow

dynasti e s, thoug h n e ve r fully e xplain e d o r unde rstood by Chi
n e s e scholars are at l e a st cl e ar in o n e r e sp e ct , which is, that th e y
,

c ontain t h e nam e s o f m e n wh o subscrib e th e m se lve s as sons and ,

also contain dire ctions t o de sce ndants to the e ffe ct that th e se

ve ss e ls S hould be care fully pr e se rve d throug h all subse que nt
,

g e n e ration s
. The natural in fe re nce is that th e s e ve sse ls w e re
use d in sacrificial c e re moni e s in the ance stral t e mpl e s O n o ne .

O f th e b e st kn own s e ts O f bronze v e ss e ls t he Ch i Hou se t now

’
,

in the M e tropolitan Mus e um Ne w York the inscription indi

, ,

c at e s that t he ve ss e ls w e r e made for t he Marquis o f Ch i and

’
,

th e se ve sse ls we re undoubt e dl y us e d in sacrificial ce re moni e s

h e ld in honour o f the e arly rul e rs who broug ht this small prin
cip al ity into g r e at promin e n c e .

The inte rmixture O f r e li g ious be li e fs is furth e r e vide nce d in

the e arli e st accounts O f t he worship p aid to the Supr e m e R ul e r .

The t e rm S han g Ti which has b e e n adopt e d by translators as

,
 E AR LY R ELIGI O US B E LI E FS 49

that o f the Christian G o d, is associate d in t he S ha King with

”
Huang T i e n , Imp e rial He ave n 5 an d the four characte rs
’

ar e writt e n to g e th e r as Huang T i e n Shan g Ti S upre m e

’
,
”
R ul e r o f Imp e rial H e ave n The powe rs and pre ro g ative s at
.

tache d to the S upr e m e R ul e r Shang Ti are attribut e d al so t o

, ,
—”

T i e n o r H e ave n
’ ”
Both thes e terms Shang Ti and T ie n ,
.
’
,

ar e int e rpr e t e d by t he standard comm e ntator Of t he S un g d y

n asty, Chu Hsi , as e qui val e nt t o Li

variously translate d as O rde r,

”
”
Law ” “
This t e rm Li has b e e n
.

”
_

Prin cipl e , and ,

Abstract R ig ht but t he word Int e llig e nce s e e m s t o co n

,

v e y more o f th e ori g in al ide a Of Li in its m e aning as the e qu iv a

l e nt O f Shang Ti and T i e n than any o f the oth e r tran slations

’
,
.

The Supr e m e R ul e r , o r H e ave n , was t he g re at moral standard,

and in accordance with th e ir complianc e with its de cre e s, e arthly
rul e rs we re e st abli sh e d upon th e ir thron e s; whil e acts in dis
obe die nce to its l aws we re puni sh e d by r e moval from th e ir hig h
positions The S hn King says : G o d acts in difl e re n t ways ; o n
.

t he ri g ht e ous he se nds down all bl e ssin g s and o n t he wicke d he ,

”
pours o u t m ise r ie s The first duty o f rul e rs was to orde r th e ir
.

o wn conduct accordin g t o t he immutabl e de cre e s of H e ave n S O

that the p e opl e mig ht follow th e ir g ood e xampl e and l e ad vir

tuo n s live s If the p e opl e we re de bauch e d it was a sure S ig n
.

that the rul e r was n o t living in accordance with t he laws o f

H e ave n and that som e on e woul d ari se to tak e his place as hap ,

p e n e d at the e n d o f the Hsia and Shang dynastie s Th e re is n o .

e vide nc e to S how that the e arly Ch in e s e w e r e monoth e ists, in

t he acc e pt e d u se Of that t e rm The position o f Shang Ti in

.

e arly Chin e s e b e li e f was similar to that o f J ahv e h amon g t he

e arly H e bre ws , who b e li e ve d that t he Lord is a gr e at G o d and

”
a g re at Kin g ab ove all g ods
. 3 and al so that Thou , Lord art ,
”
e xalt e d far above all g ods Am on g the Chin e s e t he spirits o f
.

He ave n and E arth Of the land and the g rain and Of the Ance s
,

tral Te mpl e we re associate d with hig h H e ave n , the Supre me

,

R u l e r The S hu King stat e s that the e arly kin g s assiduou sly

.
50 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
cultivat e d th e ir natural virtu e s e rving and ob e yin g the S pirits
,

O f H e ave n and E arth O f t he lan d and t he g rain and o f the

,
”
An ce stral Te mpl e ; all with a r e ve re nt ve n e ration In the .

sam e parag raph as this stat e m e nt is anoth e r warning t he n e w

,

succe ssor to t he throne that he was charg e d with Obe die nce to
t he S pirits o f his an ce stors and cautionin g him ag a i nst d isg rac
,

in g th e ir m e mory .

Th e re have be e n many miscon ce ption s as to the status o f

Shang Ti in e arly Chin e se be li e fs Th e se hav e arise n larg e ly
.

from the fact that t he Chin e s e n e ve r made anthropomorphi c

imag e s o f t he Supre m e R ul e r Th e y place d him hi g h above
.

all in stat e ly g rande ur and mag nifi ce nt pow e r N on e was so .

g r e at a God as this S upre m e R ul e r Man was so in fe rior to

.

H e ave n that n e ith e r his body nor his mind could b e compare d
t o th e g lory and maj e sty O f t he R ul e r who wa s hi g h ove r all .

But whil e no imag e s fashion e d a ft e r t he mode l O f the human

,

form , w e re made O f the Supre m e R ul e r the anci e nt Chin e se

,

m ad e imag e s o f anoth e r sort whi ch fitt e d in with the re quir e

m e nts o f th e ir abstra ct m e taphysical min d s A round j ade disk
.

with a larg e hol e bor e d in the ce ntre re pr e se nt e d E arth W ith

,
.

th e s e w e r e j ade S hap e s re pr e se nting e ach o f the Four Quart e rs ,

N orth , South E ast and We st Lau fe r says that t he Chin e s e

, .

did not con ce ive Of th e ir cosmic g ods as human be ing s but as ,

force s O f nature with a we ll de fine d pre cin ct of powe r an d th e y ,

con struct e d th e ir imag e s o n the g round o f g e om e tric qualitie s ,

suppos e d to b e imman e nt to the g re at natural ph e nom e na The .

shap e s Of th e s e imag e s w e re found by way o f g e om e tric con

”
struction . Th e a ssociation O f the spirits O f the land and g rai n
and O f the Ance stral Te mpl e with the wor ship o f the Supr e m e
R ul e r as e qually binding upon princ e s an d p e opl e was not co n
, ,

sid e re d d e ro g atory to th e pr e stig e O f the latt e r No proph e ts

.

aro se in China, as in Isra e l to warn t he p e opl e ag ainst this com

,

bination The re sult was that wh e re as in Isra e l a tribal God

.

cam e to be the only God in China the Supre m e R ul e r be cam e

,
 PL A T E III
PO Y U N K U AN ,
TA O IST T E M P L E , PE K I N G

1 . Th i r d C o u rt .

2 . Fo u rth C o u rt .

Se e p p . 2 3, I 35 .
 E AR LY RE LIGI O US B E LI E FS 51

more and more lost S ig ht o f among the mu ltitu d e O f g ods cre

ate d in the like ne ss o f man and oth e r living cre atur e s Hig h .

e thical pre ce pt s r e latin g to H e ave n w e re subm e r g e d in th e r is

in g tide o f natur e worship .

Th e E mp e ror S hun sacrifi ce d to th e Liu Tsun g or S ix H o n

__
_

o u re d One s
”
.L e gg e sug g e ststhat In g oin g to worship the
hill s an d rive rs and the host s O f S pirits h e must have suppo se d ,

th e re we re ce rtain tute lary b e ing s who pr e si d e d ove r t he more

con spicuous Obj e ct s O f n ature and its various pro ce sse s Th e y .

we r e und e r Go d and coul d d o nothing e xce pt as th e y w e re p e r

mitte d and e mpowe re d by him , but t he worship O f th e m
pave d the way fo r th e panth e ism which e nt e rs larg e ly into the
be li e f O f the Chin e se at the pre se nt tim e and o f whi ch we find ,

o n e Of t he e arli e st st e p s in t h e pra cti ce whi c h c omm e nce d with

,

t he Chow d y na sty o f not only using t he t e rm H e ave n as symo

,

n ym fo r God but u sing also the combination H e av e n an d

,
”
E arth . Th e se Six Honoure d O n e s have b e e n variou sly e x
plain e d by Chine se authors M eng K ang says that th e y w e r e
. .
’

t he starsf he av e n ly bodi e s fath e r o f t he wind ma st e r o f t h e

, ,

rain arbite r o f the co smi c space and arbit e r o f fate Anoth e r

, ,
.

authority divide s th e m into two classe s o f thre e e a ch : t he b e av

e n l y class c onsist s o f t he sun moon and star s t h e e arthly cla ss
, ,

O f the T ai Mountain rive rs an d se a

’
,
W hate ve r may b e the
.

c o rr e ct e xplanation t he worship paid to th e se S ix Honoure d

,

O n e s by t he E mp e ror Shun prove s con clusive ly that anci e nt

Chin e se worship was a syste m o f polyth e ism in which t he Su
pre me R ul e r hig h above all oth e rs, was th e source and standard
,

o f al l moral authority .
 C H A P TE R V

C O S M O G O N Y A N D C O S MO L O G I C A L
TH E O R I E S

T is n o t possibl e t o stat e that th e re is among the e arly Chin e s e

any cl e arly de fin e d th e ory o f the orig in o f the unive rse
. .

Th e re is a vag u e a scription to S hang Ti o f infinit e cr e ative

pow e r, which is involve d in t he worship paid to him as the Gre at
R ul e r o f t he unive r se W e have alre ady point e d o u t, h o we ve r,
.

that the worship o f Shang Ti was also associ at e d with that o f

t he S pirits o f t he e arth an d air, as we ll as Of anc e stors It was
.

also conside r e d to be o n the same plane as the worship Of

H e ave n and the two s e e m e d to have be e n int e rchang e abl e
, .

Shan g Ti the Gr e at R ul e r was H e av e n and H e ave n was

,
'

, ,

Shang Ti 5 both r e pre s e nt e d the Gre at Law t o which e ve rything

in the unive rse is subj e ct It was not con ce ive d o f as a p e rsonal
.

e ntity but as an all p e rvading forc e unde r whi ch all thin g s live
,
-

'

and move and have the ir be ing This c on ce ption fitte d in we ll

.

with the Conse r vative vi e w as to the rig ht o f king s to rul e and

prince s to de cr e e j ustice The re g ulation o f all cre ation unde r
.

the supr e m e rul e o f H e ave n found an ade qu at e illu stration in

t he r e lation o f th e subj e ct s to t he rul e r o f a stat e As the vie ws

.

o f t he Cons e rvativ e School w e r e chi e fly occupi e d, in th e ir final

analysis with the control o f t he stat e , it was de e m e d by th e m

,

unn e ce ssary to inquir e too close ly into the natu r e Of the Gre at
R ul e r o f the unive rs e Fo r th e m it was e nou g h to know that
.

his powe r is omnipote nt and his will supre m e Sp e culation con .

ce rnin g him was conside re d sup e rflu o us ; th e ir only de sire was

to comply with his immutabl e d e cr e e .

According to the most obvious int e rpre tation of Chapte r V I

 C O SM O G O NY C O S M O L O GICAL TH E OR I E S 53
of the Ta o Te h King , L ao Tzu s e e ms to have ve nture d into the
re alm o f co smog ony 5 and whate ve r may be thoug ht Of the trust
worthin e ss o f t he t e xt th e re c an b e n o doubt o f the fact that its
conce ption s hav e be e n adopt e d by all late r writ e rs Of the School
.

o f Tao . W ang P i o f the third ce ntury A D int e r pre ts this dif

’
. .

ficu l t passag e o f t he Tao Te h Kin

’

g in a s e nse whi c h has be e n

—

g e n e rally acce pt e d as bring ing o u t its orig inal m e aning , but

Gile s profe sse d at o n e
time that he had n o t “
th e r e mot e st ide a what

it m e ant .
”
W ang P i ’

says in e xplaining the

‘
m e aning Of Kn S hén
t he

vall e y “
spirits o f the
that a v al
le y is the abode o f v a
cu ity and sil e nc e , which ,

thoug h nothing e lse can

be fo u n d in the vall e y,
/

s t i l l re ma i n without
form . It is thus e v i
de nt that the spirits
Of the vall e y me an
the S pirits o f vacuity and S il e nc e .I have translate d hsn as
sil e nce in the se ns e Of the word in Hood s sonn e t’

The re is a si l e nc e whe re hath b e e n no sou nd,

The re is a si le nce whe re no sou nd m ay be .
”

The whol e passag e ( Chapte r V I ) may be translat e d : The im

mortal S pirits Of the vall e y are call e d the g re at void The g re at
.

v o id i s call e d H e ave n and E arth C ontinually it e ndure s work ,

ing without conscious e xe rtion Stripp e d o f all unknown im

.

pli cations L ao Tz ii s th e ory Of the unive rse is that o u t o f a

,
’

g re at void cam e H e ave n and E arth whos e laws ar e immutabl e .

vm — s
54 CHI NE SE MYTH O L O GY
Th e r e is littl e o r nothin g in Chuan g Tzu or Lie h Tzu which
amplifi e s or e x plains the myst e rious Chapte r V I o f the Tao Te h
Kin g but in t he
, History o f the Gre at Lig ht ( H un g L ie h
Chn an ) the philosoph e r Liu An commonly known as Huai
, ,
.

nan Tz ii ( 0b 1 2 2 B C ) has writt e n what is in re ality a co m

.
, .

me ntary upon it Huai nan Tz ii g ave little att e ntion to t he

’
-
.

e thical t e a chin s O f L a o Tz u
g , his c on ce rn was with the trans
mutation o f m e tals an d the se arch fo r t he e lixir o f immortality .

H e g ath e r e d aroun d him larg e g roup s o f as ce tics ( fan g shih ) ,

who d e vote d th e ir time to o ccult practi ce s and r e se arch e s This .

typ e o f study l e d Huai nan Tz u into the con side ration Of t he

—

ph e nom e na o f nature and o f t he orig inal cre ative force .

Huai nan Tz ii e mphasize d the doctrin e o f spontan e ity

-

whi ch he said is t he orig inal law o f cre ation Drag ons live in
, ,
.

wat e r , tig e r s and l e opard s in the mountains all following —

t h e natural in stin ct s g iv e n th e m by H e ave n an d E arth W he n .

the S prin g wind blows t he frag rant rain fall s bring ing li fe to ,

all thin g s, birds hatch th e ir young and animal s multiply , plant s

and tre e s bu d and l e a f 5 the proce ss e s ar e not vi sibl e and ye t
th e y com e to compl e tion Ag ain wh e n autumn come s with cool
.

br e e ze s and frosty air t he tre e s bow and are stripp e d O f th e ir

.
, i

l e ave s re ptil e s and in se cts bu rr o w into the g round o r hibe rnat e ;

,
‘

still no outward comp e lling force s ar e to b e se e n Thi s law o f .

spontan e ity is also tru e in individual conduct O n e should dis

.

play t he kindn e ss which is innate in the human h e art and avoid

cra ftin e s s which d e file s orig inal innoce n ce and purity Follo w .

in g thi s law furth e r the philosoph e r do e s not n e e d t o h e ar

,

sounds o r se e form s in his study o f natural ph e nom e na 5 fo r in

t he midst o f S il e nc e and lon e lin e ss he is conscious O f both .

E ve rywh e r e we find around u s t he works o f nature , ye t nature

itse l f cannot b e found by s e archin g thoug h o n the oth e r hand it
,

for ce s its e l f upon o u r att e ntion If it b e pil e d up it will not b e

.
,

hig h , if it b e du g down it will n o t b e low , addition will not in

cre ase it, n e ith e r will subtraction diminish it ; if plan e d it do e s
 CO S M O G ON Y —
C O S M O L O GI CAL TH E OR I E S 55

no t be come thin if cut it re mains uninj ur e d , it is n e ith e r de e p

,

n o r shallow S ha d owy and in di stin ct it has n o form , in d is

.
,
”
fi n d and sha d owy it s re source s have no limit Nature is th e
,
.

g re at force that sustains H e ave n and E arth , spre ads to the four
quart e rs fill s up all within the Four Se a s suppli e s lig ht to t he
, ,

su n moon and star s and is divide d into mal e and fe m ale p r in

'

, ,

ci l e s Yan g and Yin By i ts force t h e sk y r e volv e s t he e arth is

p ,
.
,

motionl e ss , the wind ri se s, clouds g ath e r thunde r rolls and rain ,

falls All ar e t he r e sult o f the spontan e ous a ction of natur e

. .

Huai nan TziI draws from this law t he t e a ching that man
-
’

should b e in harmony with natur e tranquil and conte nt AS .

,
.

an e xampl e O f complian ce with this law h e stat e s that in e arly ,

tim e s Fu H si an d S h en Nung unde rstood t he laws Of natur e

,

so that th e y w e r e in c ommunion with t he Cr e ator and w e re abl e

to as sist in OI dain in g all thin g s within the unive rs e Th e re are

'

many diffi culti e s to a full un de rstand ing O f t he m e aning O f

som e passag e s in the t e xt o f Huai nan Tz u but th e ir g e n e ral -

t e nor s e e m s to be in accord with thi s law o f spontan e ity .

The ve n e rabl e mysti c wh o r e ve al e d him se lf to Liu H siang ,

’

8 0 9 B C whil e he was absorb e d in his ni g htly study o f t he

—
. .
,

stars told him t h e my st e ri e s of cr e ation

, H e e xplain e d al so .

t he e volution o f natur e from t he fiv e e l e m e nts ( wn h sin g )

wate r fir e wood m e tal an d e arth B e fore vani shin g into space
, , ,
.

t he mysti c d e clare d him se l f to b e t he E s se n ce o f t he Gr e at

Ce ntre T ai I Ching Liu Hsiang was t he author o f the

— ’
.

Hi story O f the Han Dynasty and t he founde r o f the m o d

e r n styl e O f hi stori cal compo sition but h e sp e nt all h is l e isur e ,

tim e in o ccult stu d i e s From his time onward the scholars who .

be long e d to the School o f Tao paid scant att e ntion to e thi cal
probl e ms , but g ave all th e ir atte ntion to S p e culation about the
orig in o f li fe its prolong ation and its myst e ri e s j ust as Chang
,

Tao ling a ce ntury lat e r is the startin g point for the mag i cal
- -

practi ce s which have almost absorb e d all e lse in Taoi sm From .

Liu s time forward it is impossibl e to de t e rmin e j ust wh e n the

’
56 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
various e l e m e nts we r e introduce d whi ch we nt t o form the co s
m o lo g ical syst e ms as e xplain e d by w rit e r s durin g the T an g ’

and Sung dynasty in such books as the S n ng L i Ch aan S i m and ’ '

it is fruitl e ss to att e mpt any chronolog i cal arrang e m e nt Th e re .

was much con fusion O f thoug ht and dive rg e nce Of V ie w until

g e n e ral c on se nt and wide acce ptance w e re Obtain e d fo r the fo l
lowing th e ory .

This th e ory is that the g r e at s e lf e xiste nt, wn chi produce d

-

finit e e xi ste nce , t ai chi The finite e volve d t he two e sse ntial
’
.

e l e m e nts Of natur e , Yang and Yin which may b e translate d as

,

t he mal e and f e mal e principl e s o r as positiv e and n e ga tive o r

, ,

as li g ht and darkn e ss Chu H si s account says that first was the

’
.

s e lf e xist e nt an d th e n t he finite The finite move d and th e re

-
.

was Yang ( lig ht o r the mal e principl e ) , the finite re st e d and

th e re was Yin ( darkne ss or the fe mal e principl e ) In oth e r .

words the s e xual principl e as kn own in propag ation o f animal

life was pre dicat e d o f nature as manife st e d in the finite ; but
th e re was no atte mpt to de scribe the infinite s e lf e xiste nt in -

t e rms O f human forms o r human e xp e ri e nce This primordial .

caus e was unk nowabl e and un e xplainabl e .

The T ai H si Kin g which may be tran slat e d The Classic

’
,
”
o f Br e ath Control is a furth e r e laboration Of the S ixth Chap
,

t e r O f Lao Tz ii This classic is without date , and the nam e o f

'

t he author is n o t kn own but from its cont e nt s t he probability

,

is that it was writt e n during the Yu an dynasty wh e n so much ,

att e ntion was g iv e n among the Ta oists to the control o f bre ath
ing as o n e o f t he n e ce ssary ste ps in attainin g immortality The .

t e aching o f this book is that in the unive rse th e re is but o ne aura ,

ch i and from thi s com e s all life and de ath

’
,
All finit e thing s
.

are produc e d from the vast and in e xhaustibl e r e s e rvo i r o f

this aura For this re ason the aura is call e d a moth e r, that is,
.

th e Yin o r fe mal e principl e o f natur e whi ch combin e s with the

Yan g o r mal e principl e O f nature to form the e te rnal Tao The .

Yang , mal e principl e is the Spirit of Vacuity ( K ung Sh én )

,
’
.
58 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
powe rs o f nature be cam e p e rsonifi e d in P an Ku , who is e ntire ly
’

an anthropomorphic conce ption Accor d ing to Jen Fang who

.

wrot e the S hn h I Chi at the comme nce me nt o f the sixth ce ntury,

this myth was intro d uce d into China by de l e g at e s re turning
from the King dom Of S iam It is not m e ntion e d in the
.
,

T n ng Chie n W ai Chi by Liu Shu in the e l e ve nth c e ntury

’
.

Anoth e r illustration O f
the p e r sonifi c ation O f what

had be e n orig inally co n

sid e r e d as i mp e rsonal law

o r prin cipl e occurre d dur ,

in g the S ung dynasty, wh e n

the S hang Ti or Gre at ,

R ul e r of t he clas sical
writing s b e came Y u Huang ,

the Jade E mp e ror o f Tao

ist t e aching Afte r the dis

.

g rac e ful p e ac e made by the

E mp e ror Ch en Tsung in
1 005 A D with the Kitan
. .

Tartars by which north e rn

,
'

portions o f the E mpir e

we r e ce d e d away, the E m
p e ro r tri e d by e v e ry m e ans
F IG 8. Y U H U ANG T H E J D E
.
,
A to r e g ain his pre stig e H e
1
‘
.

EM
sou g ht o u t the sooth say e rs
PER O R
,

e omanc e rs and inte rpr e t e rs O f dr e ams In thi s he was e n

g .

co u rag e d by his Minist e r ,

W ang Ch in j o who e xp l ain e d
’ -

to him that the re ve lations r e pute d to have b e e n g ive n to

th e e arly E mp e ror s we r e only inve ntions to s e cur e Ob e di e nce ,
and that if the E mp e ror we re to fabricate S imilar tal e s co n
ce rning hims e lf, the p e opl e would b e won back to loyal obe di
e n ce. In 1 0 1 2 A D the E mp e ror call e d his Ministe rs to g e th e r
. .

and told th e m O f a dre am in which he had re ce ive d a l e tte r

 CO S M O G O NY C O S M O L O GI CAL TH E O R I E S 59

from Y ii Huang whi ch state d that Y ii Huang h ad se nt two

’

l e tt e rs to his an ce stor the foun d e r o f the Sung d ynasty and

, ,

that now his Imp e rial ance stor was coming to pay him a visit .

The E mp e ror late r in form e d his Mini st e r s that his aug ust an
ce sto r had d uly app e ar e d to him in a ccordanc e with t h e promi se

o f Y ii Huan g The Imp e rial Hist ory T n n g Chie n Kan g Mn

.
,
’
,

re cords th e se fa cts and stat e s that this is the first app e arance O f
,

Y ii Huan g and that absolut e ly nothin g is known Of his orig in

,

o r li fe NO o n e pre viou s to the dr e am o f the E mp e ror had

.
-

e ve r h e ar d Y u Huan spok e n o f H e was t h e inv e ntion Of a

g .

d e ce it ful Emp e ror aide d by a Minist e r who was spoke n o f in

”
the r e ig n o f h is su cce ssor a s Obsce n e Thi s re ve lation ( t ie n
.
’

shn ) to t h e E mp e ror Chén Tsun

g was a cqui e sce d in by anoth e r
,

famous Mini st e r W ang Tan in con side ration O f a larg e pre s e nt

, ,

by the E mp e ror and his cowardi ce in doin g S O has b e e n fr e

,

que ntly comm e nte d upon by lat e r write rs .

N otwithstandin g thi s fraudul e nt orig in Y u Huan g r e ce ive d ,

during the re ig n o f the E mp e ror Hui Tsung I 10 1 1 1 2 5 A D

, ,
—
. .
,

the hi g h e st po ssibl e honour in b e ing g ive n t h e titl e O f Hao

T i e n Y ii Huang Shang Ti whi ch m e ans The Gre at R ul e r

’
,
, ,
”
Al mi g hty H e ave n Y ii Huang ,
and to this titl e was pre fixe d
,

t h e stat e m e nt that at cr e ation he was th e arbit e r o f d ivination

'

t he controll e r O f tim e and t he tru e e mbodim e nt o f Tao This .

ide ntification Of Y ii Huang as Shan g Ti the Gr e at R ul e r Of the ,

unive rse was the hig h e st possibl e ascription that co u l d be made

,

t o him .

Afte r thi s tim e storie s o f the life o f Y u Huang w e r e in

ve nte d H is fath e r was Ching t é King o f a fabulous country
.
—
,
.

”
Th e Que e n was call e d P ao yii e h -
The Pre cious Month
,
.

Havin g come to mi d dl e li fe she had n o t ye t born e a male child .

The Kin g call e d pri e sts t o th e palace to r e cit e praye rs with t he

3

obj e ct Of Obtainin g an h e ir to the thron e Durin g t he following .

nig ht the Qu e e n had a dre am in which L ao TziI app e are d t o

’

.
.

he r , mount e d o n a drag on and carryin g a mal e child in his a rms .

.
60 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
H e flew throug h the air and came to ward he r wh e re upon the
,

Que e n be gg e d him to g ive he r this child as h e ir to the cro wn .

Lao Tz u cons e nte d and tos se d the child to the Que e n She fe ll .

on he r kn e e s and thanke d him This was he r dre am Awake n

. .

in g the n e xt mornin g S he f e lt h e rse lf pr e g nant , and at t he e n d

o f a ye ar brou g ht forth a child From his e arli e st ye ars the
.

child showe d himse lf g e n e rous to the p o or g iving away all the

,

rich e s O f the palace O n the de ath o f his fath e r he was crown e d

.

King but aft e r a fe w days he ce de d th e crown t o the Prim e

, ,

Ministe r and l e ft the kin g dom in orde r to be com e a h e rmit at

P u ming in the Province Of S h e n si
’ —
He re he att aine d p e rfe c
.

tion o f life and Sp e nt his tim e in h e aling the S ick In t he midst

.

o f his d e e ds O f charity h e di e d .This is t he fabulous account

‘
o f his li fe as r e corde d in t he S o n S h én Chi To the comm o n
.

p e opl e Of China Y ii Huang and P an Ku ar e the g re at orig in

,
’

o f all finit e thin g s , and to th e m worship is paid as t he Gr e at

Cr e ators .
 C H A P TE R V I

S P IR IT S O F N A TU R E

HE mo st p e rsiste nt typ e o f r e lig ious worship in China is

that O fl ere d to the Spirits o f E arth The anci e nt E m
.

p e ro r Shun is said to have o fl e r e d sacrific e s to the hills in t he

wan g c e r e mony, and lat e r mythi cal E mp e rors in t he lii c e re
‘
mony ; the Duke Of Chow sacrifi ce d a bu l l o n the shé altar in
his worship Of the powe rs O f nature The re w e r e also the fan g
.

sacrifice s to t he Four Quarte rs o f the E arth , the yn sacrifice in

'

praye rs fo r rain, the c hia o sacrifi ce to H e ave n at the winte r so l

sti ce and to E arth at the summ e r solsti ce as we ll as the o ffe r
, ,
‘
ing s o n t he sha chi altars t o t he spirit s Of the E arth and g rain
which we re se t up in e ve ry fe udal stat e Th e re we re also l e sse r
.

rit e s co nn e cte d with the worship Of nature such as the i sn tio n

,

sacrifice and oblation O ffe re d by trave ll e rs o n t he nig ht pre vious

to the comm e nc e m e nt Of a j ourn e y t he p a sacrifice made by
,

tr ave ll e rs fo r g ood fortun e in th e ir unde rtaking s t he sacrifi ce

,

to t he ance sto r O f horse s in t h e p o c e r e mony which is r e fe rr e d

”
to in The Book O f O de s the sacrifi ce at t he e n d Of the y e ar
,

which was call e d cha in the Chow dynasty and l a in the Ch in

,
’
,

an d which was O f fe re d in thanksg iving fo r t he harve st the yo ,

sacrifice in the spring and the ti sacrifice in the autumn both o f ,

which we re atte nde d by the rul e r and all the prince s, t he hn e i

sacrifice for ave rting e vil influe nce s and the n o sacrifice fo r the
sam e purpose .

The L i Ki o r Book O f R ite s re cords that the prince s o f

fe re d sacrific e s to the S pi rit s Of the E arth and Of a gricultur e
‘
: hé chi . The e arl y Chin e se we re an ag ri cultural p e opl e and
th e ir thoug hts naturally turn e d toward som e de iti e s to whose
62 CHI NE SE MYTH O L O GY
‘
influ e nc e could b e ascribe d t he bl e ssi ng s o f g ood harve st s S hé .

was th e spirit o f e arth and chi t he spirit O f g rain ; to g e th e r th e y

,

combin e d t h e ide a o f g ods Of ag ri cultur e as t he E mp e ror S h en ,

N u n g typifi e d t he ori g in O f th e cultivation o f the soil The .

spirit s o f t he e arth w e r e honour e d in di f fe r e nt m e asure a ccord

in g to the e xt e nt O f t he t e rritory Ov e r which th e y we re suppo se d
to pre side Som e we r e lo cal oth e rs e xt e n d e d throug hout the
.
,

are a O f a duchy or fe udal p rin cipality whil e o ne spirit was ,

worshipp e d by the E mp e ror as be ing the patron o f ag ri cultur e

throug hout t he E mpir e Accor ding to the g e n e rally acce pte d
.

tradition the first p e rson who was de ifi e d as t he national g o d Of

t h e soil T u ti S hén or Hou t u S h eri was KO Lun g
,
’ - -
’
H e is ,
.

said to have b e e n a d e sce n d ant o f the l e g e ndar y E mp e ror Shén ,

Nu n g in th e e l e ve nth g e n e ration KO Lung was the Mini st e r

,
.

o f Publi c W ork s durin g t h e r e i g n O f Chuan H sii t he last o f ,

t h e Five E mp e ror s and di sting ui sh e d him se l f by his z e al and

,

ability Thi s position as patron g o d O f t he S oil has be e n main

.

tain e d by K0 Lung with only two bri e f int e rvals O f whi ch o n e ,

was d urin g t he r e i g n o f t he E mp e ror P in g Ti O f th e Han d y

’

nasty and the oth e r at the b e g inning O f the Ming dynasty

,
.

The Li Sh e as r e fe rre d to in t he S hih Chi was t he place

, ,

wh e re worship was paid to t he g ods O f the soil It is int e re st .

in g to not e that th e r e was no fixe d pre scrip tion as to t he amount

o f t h e sa crific e as in all oth e r ce r e moni e s but that t he p e opl e O f ,

a district w e r e e xp e ct e d to make O ffe ring s a ccording to th e ir

ability ri ch distri cts O ffe ring mor e than poor on e s Anoth e r
,
.

important phase O f this e arly nature worship is that in it o c

curr e d t he fir st in stan ce s O f the p e rsonifi cation O f spiritual b e

in g s The Fath e r o f Husbandry T i e n Tsu , is S poke n O f in the

.
,
’

S hi h Kin g o r Book O f O de s ( II 6 V I I 2 ) as a p e rsonality .

,
.

in the sam e s e ns e as an ce stors Thi s p e rsonality was that O f d e

.

part e d human spirits and was con side r e d in a di ffe r e nt cat e g ory
,

from that o f the livin g ; but it was n e ve rth e l e ss d istin ctly mod
c ll e d aft e r t he human form This first known . in stance Of
 SPI R ITS O F NAT UR E 63

an thr Op o m o rp hi sm in e arly Chine se worship is re corde d as hav

in g occurr e d in th e Chow dyn ast y and th e re is n o availabl e
,

knowl e dg e O f its e xte nsion to oth e r Obj e cts Of worship whi ch

c ontinu e d to be r e g arde d as abstract forc e s prin c ipl e s o r laws
,
.

Th e se lo cal de itie s imp e rsonate d t he source o f the ki ndly

_

fruits O f t he e arth in t he distri ct wh e re altars w e re e r e ct e d o r

O ffe ring s made The lo cal de iti e s O f a rich pro sp e rous district
.
,

we re o n the sam e footing as tho se Of a poor o n e Th e re is no .

re cord Of the u se Of a local g o d fo r tribal supre macy o r tribal

propag an d a If prosp e rity re ig ne d in o n e district t he local g o d
.
,

O f t he soil was thank e d by t he pr e s e ntation Of co stly o ffe rin g s ,

but he was n o t h e ralde d as g re at e r than the local g ods Of n e ig h

b o u rin g di stri ct s nor mad e t h e o ccasion Of ho stil e attacks upon
,

suppose d in fe riors Th e re w e re no j e alousi e s and quarre ls

.

among di ffe re nt lo caliti e s base d upon the h e lp Of sup e rior local

d e itie s a s th e r e w e re b e tw e e n t he I srae lit e s o n t he o n e hand
,

and the tab e rna cl e s o f E dom the I shmae lit e s, Moab and t he
,

Hag are n e s o n t he oth e r Th e se de iti e s we re dep e nde nt for

.

th e ir pre stig e o n the quality o f t he soil wh e re th e y we re wor

shipp e d and t he e arly Chin e s e would have thoug ht O f c arryin
, g
t he fe rtil e soil o f o n e di strict into t h e st e ril e fi e lds o f anoth e r,

as soon as O f tran sfe rring a local de ity fro m its own habitat to
anoth e r place The de ity was t he e sse ntial e sse n ce o f t he local
.

soil an d could not b e d e tach e d from it Thus e ve rywh e re

.

th e re was worship O ffe re d to th e se g ods o n the basis Of th e ir

p e rfe ct e quality This was n o t h e noth e ism for ove r and
.
,

above this lo cal de ity who could control t he vi sibl e world o f

matte r was H e ave n Supre me R u l e r o f the invi sibl e force s of
,

nature .

W orship o f natur e among t he anci e nt Chine s e was national ,

tribal and local ; at t he pre s e nt time it re mains national and

lo cal The g re at national ce ntre is the Te mpl e o f Ag riculture
.

in Pe king whi ch is a larg e e nclo sur e o n t he we st side o f the

,

stree t Opposit e t o the Te mpl e o f H e ave n H e re in the sp ring

.
64 CHI NE SE MYTH O L O GY
t he E mp e ror
was accustom e d to turn ove r thre e furrows with
an e sp e cially ornam e nt e d ploug h drawn by cows As a local .

r e lig ion it is foun d e v e rywh e r e in China e ve n in the sparse ly ,

populat e d ag ricultural d istricts Of Man churia and Mong olia ,

wh e re n o Buddhist o r Taoist t e mpl e s hav e b e e n built Scat .

t e r e d throu g h the fi e lds o n roadside s , o n the str e e ts o f country

,

haml e ts small structure s ar e s e e n which are Oft e n n o t more

, ,

than four by Six fe e t in size Th e s e t e stify to the p e rmane n ce

.
~

and unive rsality o f

nature worship .

Th e ore tically na
tur e worship is di
v id e d int o worship
o f the Four Quart e rs

and the Ce ntre , as

may b e s e e n in the
rai se d platform in
the inn e r e nclosure
O f the Ce ntral
Park, P e king Ac .

t u ally throug hout the

country nature wo r
FG 9I T U T AN H s W FE
. .
’
-
I D
ship
i
is O f
f e r e d to the
I

local de ity T u ti ’
,
-

l aO ye h This de ity is usually som e local ce l e brity who has

-
.

b e e n honoure d in his life tim e fo r be n e vol e nc e o r fo r his e x ce p

—

t io n al charact e r , and at de ath has b e e n e l e vat e d to the rank of

prote ctor o f the n e ig hbourhood Anyon e afte r de ath may be .

se l e cte d fo r this honour W h e n misfo rtun e has ove rtake n a

.

place and it has b e e n re li e ve d by the e fforts o f som e individual ,

this man is almost ce rtain at de ath to b e se l e ct e d as the local

de ity t o re place the o n e whos e us e fuln e ss had e xpire d as shown ,

by his inability to av e rt calamity A man born i n a villag e , who .

has b e come a hig h o flicial o r a pro mine nt milit ary l e ade r, o r a

‘
 66 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
prot e ctor o f Hu k
at the mouth o f the Poyang Lake Y O
-
’
ou .

Fe i the g re at G e n e ral whom the Su ng s appoint e d in the tw e l fth

,

ce ntury to r e p e l th e e n c roachm e nt s o f t he Golde n Hord e s o f

Tartars is buri e d at the S ide o f t he W e st Lake H e was post

, .

h u m o u sly g rant e d th e titl e O f t he Prince o f 0 ( mode rn

Hup e h ) but his prin ce ly rank has not pre ve nt e d the farming
,

p e opl e Of Hang chow di strict from makin g him a local p r o te c

tive de ity T u ti lao ye h It do e s not always hap p e n that the
,
’ — -
.

lo cal de ity was som e particular individual who live d at a ce rtain

tim e , in many instance s, and it mig ht be sa fe to v e nture in most
instan ce s h e is only the g e n e ral inde finite spirit Of the soil and
,

has no conn e ction with an y de ce a se d individual

In the small shrin e s the de ity T u ti lao ye h is som e tim e s ,
’ - -

, ,

thoug h rare ly found alon e In almost e ve ry in stance a fe mal e

,
.

fig ur e is se ate d at his rig ht She is known as his wi fe T u ti .

,
’ -

nai nai I hav e not b e e n abl e to tra ce t his custom O f as so ciating

-
.

a woman with the de ity to any d at e e arli e r than t he mi ddl e o f

the Min g dynasty but as ye t littl e in form ation on thi s qu e stion
,

is availabl e In larg e r lo cal S hrin e s oth e r de iti e s ar e introduce d

.
,

such as th e g o d O f w e alth Ts ai S h en who se horse stan d s at the

,
’
,

si d e O f t he shrin e and t h e g o d O f h e alin g Yo W ang S om e ,

.
,

tim e s oth e r l e sse r de iti e s are also g ive n place s, such as the g o d
who control s smallpox an d t he g o d who controls chol e ra R e f .

e r e nc e has alr e ady b e e n made in t he Introduction to Hou chi -

t h e patron O f g rain , t he produ ct Of t h e soil H e was Dir e ctor .

o f Ag ricul tur e in t he r e i g n o f t he E mp e ror Y ao and sa crific e s

'

w e re o ffe r e d t o him durin g the Hsia dynasty According to .

t h e S hih Chi sa crific e s w e r e O ffe r e d to him at t he sam e tim e as

,

to H e ave n during the r e ig n o f Ch eng W an g s e cond E mp e ror ’

,

o f the Cho w dynasty Th e altar for thi s purpos e was e r e cte d

.

in the Vi cinity Of the capital city In conn e ction wi th anoth e r .

patron Of g rain Yin Hung an int e r e sting myth is narrate d in

, ,
‘
t he Fén g S han Y e n I W h e n Yin Hung was twe lve ye ars o f
‘
.

ag e t he E mpr e ss o f the tyr ant Chou soug ht t o tak e his lif e He .

 SPI R ITS O F N ATUR E 67

had al re ady arrive d at the place O f e xe cution wh e n two im

mortals re scue d h im in a whirlwind an d carri e d him O Hto a safe
r e tre at on th e mountain Tai Hua H e a ft e rwards came o u t to
’

fig ht o n the side o f the support e rs O f the S hang dynasty ag ainst

the Chows, but thi s S O outra g e d t he Chow G e n e ral that he pul ~

v e riz e d Yin Hun g with t he E i g ht Diagr ams Aft e r d e ath he .

was canonize d a s patron o f g ood harve st s .

A myth is conn e ct e d with the worship o f Hou t u, who -

’

mode rn te mpl e s is re pr e se nte d

as a woman This was orig i .

nall y wor ship o f the spirit O f the

e arth th e n it b e cam e a wor ship
,

O f individuals who w e r e hon

O u r e d as patrons o f the soil ,

and d e ce ase dfi m p e r o rs or E m
pre sse s we re de sig nate d as thi s
de ity Sin ce the e arly part O f
.

t he Ming dyna sty t he g o d h as

b e e n tran sforme d into a g odde ss ,

Hou t u n ai n ai The g e ne ral

-
’ -
.

fa cts c o nc e rning the e volution o f

this wo rship are g ive n in t he
book W n L i T nng K a o but
‘
’ ’
,

no e xplanation is g ive n o f the

chang e o f se x o f the d e ity .

Anoth e r Spirit which is now F G 10 H U TU I . . O -

’

unive rsally worship pe d throu g h

o u t China is t he g o d o f t h e city Ch en g Huan g ,
H e is m e n
’
.

tio n e d in Chin e se lit e ratur e fir st in t he annals o f t he N orth e rn

Ch i dynasty 550 57 7 A D wh e re it is said that a r e sp e ct ful

’
,
—
. .
,

count e nance and dig nifi e d praye r in the worship o f Ch eng ’

’
Huang will b e an swe r e d by many bl e ssing s Durin g the T ang .

dyna sty wh e n e ve rything was g ive n an orig in in e arly history

,
,

Ch eng Huang was inte rpre te d as be ing the same as S hui Jung ,
’
68 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
o ne o f the E i g ht Spirits ( Pa Cha ) , to whom the E mp e ror
Yao O iIe re d sacrifice , according to the L i Ki Th e re are forms .

o f pray e r writt e n fo r his worship in the T an dynasty by Chan ’

g g
S huo and Chan g Chin ling , the famous litt érat e urs
-
In the .

FI G . I I. CH E NG HU A NG

Sung dynasty worship o f C eng Huang was wide Spre ad, and
’ -

he was e nn obl e d as a Duk e in e ve ry pre fe cture , a Marquis in

e v e ry d e partm e nt and an E arl in e ve ry county During the .
,

re ig n o f Hung W u in 1 38 2 , t e mpl e s in his honour w e re de

,

cl ar e d t o b e public g ove rnm e nt prop e rty, and it was orde re d

that sacri fice s S hould be O ffe re d to him In t he Manchu dy .

n asty Ch éng Huang was include d in the pre scribe d r e g ulations

’

among thos e to whom r e g ular sacri fices should be O ffe re d W ith .

Ch éng Huan g is associat e d his wife , fo r whom S p e cial rooms

’
 SPI R ITS O F NATUR E 69

ar e se t aside in the t e mpl e The g rowth o f this T ang dynasty

.
’

myth into a national cult is o n e o f the most r e markabl e inci

d e nts in Chine se mytholog y and is an e vide nce O f the g re at in
fl u e n ce Of Imp e rial patronag e The conn e ction b e twe e n Ch eng
.
’

Huang and Shui Jung re sts sol e ly upon t he ide ntity o f the orig
inal me aning o f the two name s Both have the m e aning o f a
.

FI G . 12 . N
SA C H E -
J EN

”
city moat . By c onn e cting t he n e wly inve nt e d Ch éng -
’

Huang with the mythical spirit Shui Jun g to whi ch t he E m

, ,

p e r o r Y ao sacrific e d t he T ang scholars g ave a di g nity to t he

’
,

n e w de ity whi c h h e could not hav e attain e d in any oth e r way .

S hui Jun g is only m e ntion e d casually in t he L i Ki and was n o t

sing l e d o u t by late r g e n e rations as worthy Of g re at e r r e sp e ct
”
than any o f the oth e r E ig ht Spirits It was n o t until the
.
70 CHI NES E MYTH O L O GY
T ang dynasty that his nam e was s e l e ct e d as a p e g upon which
’

to hang t he l e g e nd o f Ch éng Huang ’

.

O f the fiv e sa cr e d mountain s T ai S han in Shantung Prov ,

’

ince has be e n mo st clo se ly conn e ct e d with re lig ious Obse rvance s .

E arly E mp e rors ar e r e put e d to hav e visit e d it H e re Co n fu .

c iu s stoo d and had a vi e w O f t he whol e e mpir e The E mp e ror .

S hih Huan g o f the Ch in d yna sty is re put e d to have se t up a

’

tabl e t during his vi sit , and a rubbing o f its in scription is still

pre se rve d in the Tai Mia o in T ai an city The e ntire characte r
’ -
.

O f th e wor ship on thi s famous mountain was chan e d aft e r t he

g
visit in 100 8 A O , Of the E mp e ror Ch en Tsung O f the S ung
,
. .

dynasty Thi s E mp e ror had probably be e n informe d o f t he

.

tal e s conn e ct e d with the daug ht e r O f Tun g Hai who app e are d
to W en W ang In his book P o W n Chih Chan g Hua , 2 32
.
,

300 A D says that wh e n T ai Kung W an g ( th e famous Mini st e r

’
,
. .

O f t he E mp e ror W en W an and t h e pr e ce ptor O f Wu W ang )

g
was Gove rnor Of Kuan t an fo r a full ye ar t h e re was a s e ve re
-
’
,

droug ht and no sound Of wind was h e ard In a dre am W én .

W ang saw a woman who was w e e ping bitt e rly H e inquire d .

th e r e ason fo r h e r g ri ef and S h e r e pli e d : I am the daug hte r o f

Tun g Hai E a st e rn S e a and am marri e d to Hsi Hai
,

W e st e rn S e a Tomorrow I shall r e turn e astward to Kuan

t an You are a man O f hig h principl e s and disting ui sh e d nature
’
.

so that I do not dare to di sturb you by r e turnin g hom e in a

whirlwind ”
The E mp e ror W en W ang o n t he following
.

d ay orde r e d the r e call o f T ai Kun g W an g from his distant

’

post wh e re upon the woman c arri e d out he r purpo se o f co m

,

in g ba ck and broug ht with h e r a copious S howe r O f rain a cco m

n ie d with wind S h e thus b e cam e known as the Lady o f
p a .

T ai Shan
’
.

Anoth e r account of this woman is g ive n by Chan g Er ch i —

’

who live d at the clo se o f the Ming and the be g inning Of t he

Manchu dynasty In his book H a o A n g H sie n H n a he quot e s
.
, ,

from a romantic history, P ai S hih that durin g the Han dy ,

 SPI R IT S O F NATUR E 7I
nasty a lapidary fashion e d two statue s o n e o f the G olde n ,

L ad ( Chin T un g ) an d o ne O f the Jade Lady ( Y il Nu )

’
, .

During the Five Dynasti e s t he hall O f t he te mpl e in whi ch th e s e

stood collap se d an d t he statu e s fe ll d own
,
The Golde n Lad .

was broke n in pi e ce s but t he Ja d e Lady was subm e rg e d in a

,

pool W h e n t he S ung E mp eror Ch en Tsung vi sit e d T ai

.
, ,
’

S han in 1 00 8 A D h e stoop e d to wash his han d s in this pool

. .
, .

H e found a ston e statu e

floati ng o n the sur face It .

was take n out and foun d to

b e t he Jade La dy He or .

d e re d his att e ndant Mini st e r

to e r e c t a t e mpl e in h e r hon

o u r and con fe rr e d upon he r

t he titl e o f T i e n Hsi e n Y ii
’

Nil Pi H sia Yil an Ch ii

Fir st Lord o f the Blue
Sk y H e av e nly Fairy Jade
, ,

Lad y This a ccount is

al so g ive n in the Hi stori cal
R e cord s o f S hantun g ( S han
Tn n g K a o Kn L n )
’
Th e r e .

ar e many S hrin e s to this

Lady o n the mountain .

Th e r e ar e no myth s which
have g e n e ral curre ncy asso F G 13 J D E L DY Y I : ° A A , U

c iate d with an y oth e r O f t h e fiv e sac r e d mountain s T ai Shan ’

.

has absorb e d all t he int e r e st O f t he Taoi sts an d in its nam e as ,

”
Tung Y O E aste rn Pe ak it h as b e e n t he Obj e ct o f worship in
, ,

e ve ry larg e ce ntr e wh e re Taoi st influ e n ce flouri sh e s Th e Tun g .

Y O Te mpl e out si d e t he Ch ao Yang Men is o n e O f the mo st

,
’
,

b e auti ful t e mple s O f P e king and has be e n un d e r Imp e rial

,

patronag e sin ce the tim e o f t he Yu an dynasty The myth s con .

ce rn e d with the four sacre d hills o f Buddhistic worship , P u t o ’ -

’
,
72 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
Chiu hua , W u t ai and O m e i are all for e ig n in th e ir o r i gi n
- -
’ -

and do not call fo r att e ntion among national l e g e nds .

T i e n H o u g odde ss O f the se a, is r e put e d t o have be e n the

’
,

sixth daug ht e r Of Lin Yuan Of t he P u t i e n district Of Fukie n

’ -
’

Pro vin ce who live d during the S ung dynasty From childhood
, .

she pos se ss e d sup e rnatural p o we rs H e r broth e r carri e d o n a .

se a trade
—
W h e n e ve r a g r e at wind aro se at se a, She clos e d he r
.

e y e s and w e nt forth in he r divin e pow e r and r e scu e d he r broth e r .

FI G . 14 . T ’
IE N H OU

She di e d at twe nty ye ars Of ag e , bu t continu e d to e xe rcise he r '

spiritual powe rs o n the se a She is worshipp e d by all se a faring

.
—

p e rsons She was canonize d by the E mp e ror Yung L O,

.

2 3A D , o f the Ming dynasty as

. . H e av e nly Consort ( t ie n
,
’

f )
e i .Th e r e is a larg e t e mpl e in h e r honour o n t he N orth
Soochow R oad, at the corn e r o f Honan R oad Shang hai which , ,

was fo r many y e ars u se d as t he hom e o f e nvoys g oin g from o r

re turning to China She is also w o rshipp e d by p e rson s j our
.

n e yin g on riv e rs and canals Ch uan Hou, g odde ss o f stre ams,

.
’
 C H A P TER VI I

D O ME S TIC R ITE S

EL I G IO U S ce re moni e s conn e ct e d with the hom e are ce l e

b rate d at t he Ne w Y ear s e ason and o n sp e cial occasi ons
such as birthdays de partur e o n j ourn e ys and movin g into a n e w
,

r e side nce Th e s e dom e stic ce r e moni e s are u sually spoke n O f

.

as the fiv e sa crific e s ( wn
( a ) the h e arth ( tsao ) ( b ) the portal
,

( ) e house ( hn ) , ( d ) de
c t h
partur e o n j ourn e ys ( hsing ) , and ( e )
the int e rior Of t he r e side n ce ( chn ng
l in ) Th e s e c e re moni e s all ori g inate d
.

a mong the e arly inhabitant s O f China ,

thoug h the pre s e nt forms o f obse rvance

cam e into vo g u e ce nturie s late r Non e .

Of th e m S how trace s o f any fore i g n in

fl u e n ce .

W orship o f t he g o d
h e arthof the ,

Tsao S hén , is unive rsal O n the nig ht .

Of the twe nty fourth day o f the twe l fth

-

m oon e l a borate O ffe ring s O f food and

win e are arrang e d be for e a pap e r imag e
o f this g o d afte r which the imag e is
TSAO S H EN
,
F G 15
I
burn e d, to g e th e r with hors e s chariots
.
.
,

G O O TH E H E A T H
D F R , ,

pap e r mon e y and dom e stic ute nsils ,

wh e re upon Tsao Sh én asce nds to H e ave n to make his re port to

the Most Hi g h r e g ardin g t he con d ition and prosp e cts o f the
family In the hands o f thi s g o d is the pro sp e rity o r adve r
.

S ity O f t he hous e hold d e p e ndin g wholly upon t he stat e m e nts

,

which he make s conce rnin g its ide als and practice s .

 D O M E STI C R IT E S 75
It is g e n e rally ag re e d by hi stori cal writ e rs that the first O ffe r
ing to th e Princ e o f t he Furna ce T sao Chii n as he was ori gi ,
,
nally ca ll e d , was made by t he E mp e ror W u Ti 14 0 8 6 B C , ,
—
. .

o f t he Han dyna sty A mystic name d Li Shao chi i n assure d

’

-
.

the cr e dulous monarch that h e had r e ce iv e d from t h e Prince

O f t h e Furna ce t he doubl e bl e ssin g Of fr e e dom from g rowin g

Old and from e ating in orde r to live H e r e fe rre d to t he knowl .

e dg e o f alc h e my po sse sse d b y t he E mp e ror Huan g Ti by which

he wa s abl e to produce g old and thus mak e a g ol d e n tabl e

,

s e rvi ce which cause d the food se rve d in it to con fe r immortality

upon tho se who partook Of it The E mp e ror W u Ti d e man d e d
.

to se e an imag e o f this n e w g o d and o n e nig ht wh e n h e had

,

alre ady re tire d be hind the curtains o f his be d Li S hao chiin ,

—

e xhibit e d it to him
/
This sati sfi e d t he curiosity o f t he e mp e ror
.

and h e de ci d e d in 1 33 B C t o O ffe r a sol e mn sa crifice t o t he g o d

. .

in t he hop e O f be ing abl e to produce g old and to obtain im m o r

tality Li S hao e b li n was take n into the palace and a ye ar
..
-

lat e r att e mpt e d a bol d e r trick H e wrot e a numbe r Of m yste ri

.

o u s sayin gs o n silk whi ch he c au se d a bull to e at H e th e n as .

sur e d the E mp e ror that he would find marve llous writing s in

t he stomach o f an animal According ly t he bull was broug ht
.

forwar d a s the animal whi c h had b e e n sp e cifi e d by Li and wh e n ,

it was slaug hte re d the writing o n silk was found, but u n fo rtu ,

mat e ly fo r Li t he E mp e ror r e co g niz e d t h e p e nman ship to b e

,

that o f Li himse lf H e orde re d Li t o b e e xe cut e d but contin

.
,

u e d his sa crifi ce s t o the

god At this tim e i e in the s e cond
.
,
. .

ce ntury B C the chi e f fun ction o f this g o d was suppo se d to b e

. .
,

the control O f t he furna ce in whi ch m e tal s could b e transmut e d

into g old and the pill o f immortality produce d

It is narrat e d by anoth e r writ e r that during t he re ig n Of t he
E mp e ror H su an Ti 7 3 4 8 , t he Princ e of t he Furnace
—

( Tsao Chii n ) app e ar e d to the E mp e ror i n human form and

call e d him se l f by t he nam e O f Ch an Tz iI fan
g whi ch sug g e sts
’ ’
-

a conn e ction with Buddhistic propag anda Ch an Tz u fang .

’ —
76 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
wore ye llow g arm e nts and his hair f e ll unke mpt Ove r his S houl
de rs The E mp e ror was g re atly impre ss e d by this app e arance
.

and O fi e re d the sa crifice o f a lamb in his honour Ch an Tzii .

’ '

fan g r e ce ive d many e molum e nts from the E mp e ror It is said

. .

that his g re at g randson was the uncl e o f the E mpre ss, Li e h

-

H o u consort o f the E mp e ror Kuan W u 2 5 58 A D

, ,
—
. .

B e twe e n the Han and Sung dynasti e s t he Prince Of t he Fur

nace ( Tsao Chfi n ) who se powe rs we re conne cted with alch e my,
was transform e d into t he g o d o f t he h e arth , Tsao Sh en the ,
”
word tsa o m e aning both furnace and h e arth As far as .

I know th e re are no re cords Of t he way in whi ch this chang e took

pla ce but the probability is that it occurr e d during the first
,

ye ars Of the T ang dynasty wh e n the proce ss o f cre atin g n e w

’
,

d e iti e s by t he Taoi sts , and o f ascribing n e w powe rs t o de iti e s

alr e ady known flourish e d at the h e ig ht O f its popularity The
,
.

first historica l re fe re nce t o the unive rsality o f the worship Of

t he g o d o f the h e arth at the clos e of the y e ar o ccurs in a co ll e c

tion Of po e m s call e d S hih H n Tz a by Fan Ch éng ta who

’
,
’ —
,

live d in the re ig n o f the E mp e ror Kao Tsung I 1 2 7 1 1 6 2 A D ,

,
-
. .

o f the South e rn Sun g dynasty The po e t says that e ve ry family

.

made pre se nts to thi s g o d pr e paratory to his de parture to p re

se nt his re port o f family affairs to the R ul e r O f H e ave n , but no
account Of the ori g in O f the cu stom is g ive n The po e t re fe rs to
.

the custom Of worshipping this g o d as b e ing unive rsal in the

country at that time It n e e de d no e xplanation to those fo r

.

whom his po e m was writt e n .

Th e re is much int e rmixture Of the conce ptions conce rning

the g o d o f the h e arth Tsao Sh en and the g o d of fir e , H O
, ,

Sh en The orig in O f both is trace d back to Chu Jung o n e o f

.
,

the fiv e anci e nt sacrifice s ( wn chi ) Of the Hsia dynasty In the .

Y ii e h lin g Chapt e r Of t he Book of R it e s ( L i Ki ) , it is stat e d

-

that Chu Jung is the g o d o f the Fourth Month The T nn g ’

.

”
Chie n Hi storical Annals ) e xplai ns that Chu Jung r e fe rs
to a g randson of the l e g e ndary E mp e ror Chuan H su, 2 51 3
,
78 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
‘
of t hecountry Accordin g to the Féng S n T n ng t he e arli e st ’
.

was that o f Ch éng Ch ing an ancie nt warrior who is re p r e

’ ’
,

se nt e d with a lon g out e r g arm e nt and carryin g a S wor d An .

oth e r e arly r e pre s e ntation was that o f Ching K é who di e d 2 2 7 ’

B C
. . and who was a bold adve nture r H e plott e d to slay the
,
.

Prince o f Ch in, but lost his li fe in the att e mpt The two
’
.

broth e rs, S hu Y u and Y u L e i we re

al so portraye d a s g uard ian s O f the
portal but th e re i s no furth e r account
,

O f th e m than that th e y w e r e not e d

-

warriors O f antiquity From the time .

o f the first E mp e ror O f t he T an g

’

d yna sty, Ch in Ch iu n g a n d H u ’ ’

Ching t é have b e e n mo st commonly —

r e pre se nt e d as the two g uardians .

Th e se we re two state sme n who O f

fe r e d th e ir se rvi ce s to the E mp e ror
T ai Tsung wh e n he was nig htly dis
’

tu rb e d by e vil spirits during a s e rious

illn e ss Th e y promi se d to re main at

.

the g at e Of h is pala ce throug hout the

whol e nig ht During th e ir Vig il no .

spirit s int e rf e r e d with t he r e po se O f

th e E mp e ror but it was at the e x

TS S H EN G O
’ ,
F G 17
I AI D
p e n se O f t h e h e alth of his Mini st e rs
.
.
,

R H
OF ic Es
.

A fte r a fe wdays the E mp e ror call e d

an artist to the palace and had portraits made o f the two Min
iste rs in the hop e that th e se wo uld have the sam e e fl e ct as the
actual pre se nce O f the m e n th e ms e lve s H e had th e se portraits .

attach e d to the doors and true to his e xp e ctations th e y had the

, ,

sam e e ffe ct O f wardin g o fl t h e e vil spirits as th e pr e s e nc e O f the

state sm e n The cu stom rapidly spre ad until it is n o w unive rsal

.

in the country In official r e side n ce s the re are four g uardians,

.

two military and two civil .

 D O ME STI C R IT E S 79

_
The g o d ri ch e s Ts ai S h en is worshipp e d unive rsally in
O f ,
’
,
“
famili e s d uring the first d ays o f the Ne w Ye ar usually on t he ,

fi fth o r e i g hth o f the first moon H e is usually r e pr e se nte d as

.

a vi sitor who d e sire s to e nte r t he hom e and is accompanie d by

many se rvants carrying tre asu re s which he is r e ady to disp e n se
’

fre e ly to tho se who O ffe r him ob e i san ce H is ori g in is tra ce d .

back to Chao Kung min g , a h e rmit from Mount O m e i in

- -

FIG . 18 . C H AO KU NG -
MI NG , G OD OF Ri c H Es

S ze chuan , who support e d with mag i cal incantation s the Shang

dynasty in its conflict with t he m e n who founde d the Chow dy
.

nasty W h e n Chiang Tzii ya was aiding the cause O f t he Chows

.
-

h e de cide d that he must de stroy t he sup e rnatural assi stanc e

whi ch Chao Kung ming was g iving to t he Shan g s Chiang
-
.

made a straw e ffig y O f Chao b e fore which he r e cit e d incantations

fo r tw e nty days O n t he tw e nty fir st day he S hot an arrow o f
.
-

p e ach tre e wood from his bow made O f mulbe rry tr e e wood
- -

hitting the e ffig y in the h e art At this ve ry mom e nt Chao

.
80 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
Kun g ming who was in the camp of the e n e my, was s e ize d with
-

mortal illn e s s and di e d During a subse que nt Visit to the de ity

.

Yuan Shih T i e n Tsun Chiang Tz u ya was comman d e d to brin g

’
,
-

into the g od s pre se nce the de ce a se d Chao Kung ming wh e re

’ -

upon Chian g was l e d to e xpr e ss r e g r e ts for having kille d Chao ,

and to praise t he virtu e s o f his li fe In the nam e o f the de ity

.

Y ii an S hih , he p r o
n o u n ce d a d e cr e e can

o n iz in
g Chao K u n g
ming and promoting
him to the pr e side ncy
O f the Ministry 0 f
R ich e s This i s the ac
.

count g ive n i n t h e
‘ ‘
F én g S hén Y e n I In .

addition to the family

worship o f t he g o d O f
ri ch e s many te mpl e s
have imag e s of him to
whi ch in ce ns e is O ffe re d ,

e sp e cially during t he
first moon .

The i nte rior o f the

home ( i n? ) is distin
F G 19I .CH A NG TzU Y A
. I g u i
-
sh e d f rom t h e e x

t e r io r whi ch is de scribe d

by the t e rm hn This int e rior is also call e d the chn ng lin orig
.
’
-

in ally t he air S haft whi ch afl o rd e d lig ht and air t o hom e s e x

cavat e d in the side s o f hills Th e re ar e still many p e opl e who
.

live in th e se e xcavate d house s in the hills Of Honan Shansi and ,

Sh e nsi This air sha ft be ing in the c e ntre O f the house , was
.
,

the plac e wh e r e t he family g o d was pla ce d and the g o d himse lf

cam e to be known by the name O f the shaft , Chung liu In -
.

parts Of the country wh e re ordinary h ouse s are constructe d o f

82 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
r d o n silk or satin are use d o n the occasion o f birthday ce re
e e

monie s H e is now r e pre se nt e d in human form as an o ld man

.

with e longa t e d fore h e ad and point e d h e ad, c arrying in o n e

hand a crook and in t he oth e r a p e ach and mount e d o n a fawn ,

which is turning its h e ad S O that it can se e the face Of its ride r .

H e is o ft e n asso ciat e d with the spirits O f happin e ss and pro s

c all e d th e
,
“
p e r ity and t h e thr e e ar e th e n known as Fu sho u l n
O ld Man Of t he South e rn Pol e ( Nan chi lao
”
H e is also - -
.

j én ) Long e vity is c on side re d by the Chin e se as the g re at e st

.

o f all human bl e ssin s

g .

Anoth e r dom e sti c de ity worshipp e d by m e mbe rs o f the fam

ily who propo se to start o n a j ourn e y is the g o d o f t he road ,

Hsing S h en The orig in o f this worship is pre historic The

. .

so n o f t h e fabulous E mp e ror Huan

g Ti was nam e d L e i He ,
.

was fond of constant trave lling and finally di e d while o n a

j ourn e y H e was de ifi e d as t he prot e ctor o f wayfare rs
. .

Among t he Chin e s e th e re is no more notabl e charact e ristic

than t he de sire fo r o ffspri ng Pilg rimag e s ar e made to t e mpl e s
.

an d pray e r s a r e made to d e iti e s who se favourabl e r e pli e s are as

sum e d to b e r e adily obtainabl e The chi e f Obj e ct O f such wor

.

ship is th e Buddhi st d e ity Kuan Yin

g o d de ss O f m e r cy W o r
‘
, ,
.

ship o f Kuan Yin b e g an du rin g t he p e riod o f t he Six Dynastie s

,

and is now Obse rve d in all par ts O f t he country It was alre ady .

wide Spre ad at t he tim e Of the foundation o f the Sung dynasty

-

in 96 0 A D but thi s did not pre ve nt an att e mpt b e ing made to

. .
,

re place thi s worship Of a fore ig n g odde ss by that O f a Chin e se

de ity The first E mp e ror o f t he Sung dynasty tri e d t o e l e vate
.

Chan g Hsie n to the position O f the de ity to whom praye rs fo r

o ffspring S hould b e addre sse d but his e fforts we re not re warde d
,

with succe ss Th e r e are conflicting tal e s as to the ide ntity of

.

Chan g Hsi e n O n e o f th e s e stat e s that his nam e was m e ntione d

.

to the E mp e ror by the Lady Fe i who had be e n take n from be ing

t he concubin e o f Méng Ch an g , t he last rul e r Of the Shu stat e
’

o f Sz e chuan to b t h concubin f t h first Sun E mp e ror

, e e e o e g .
 D O M E STI C R IT E S 83

She had a portrait hangi n g at t he doorway o f he r ap artm e nts

which was pre sumably that o f he r first husband 5 but wh e n
que stion e d as to who se po rtrait it was this cl e ve r woman an
,

swe re d that it was that O f C han g Hsi e n a r e clu se o f t he p e riod

,

o f t he Five Dynasti e s . Anoth e r account stat e s that the por

FI G . 2 1. CH A NG H S N
IE

trait was o n e o f the founde r o f the T an g dynasty and that ’

,

Chang Hsi e n was only a supposititiou s nam e g ive n to him by

this woman In a coll e ction o f po e ms call e d Sn L a o ch ii an Tsi
.
-
’
,

it is said that the full nam e of Chang Hsi e n is Chang Yu an

hsiao H e was a native O f Me i shan in Sze chuan province and
.
-

, ,
’
re tir e d for cont e mplation as a re cluse to the Ch ing Ch eng ’

Mou ntain in the Kuan di strict al so in Sze chuan Province The

,
.

author o f this poe m was him se l f re ward e d fo r prayin g to Chang

Hsie n by the birth o f two childre n This de ity is re put e d to
.
84 CHI N E SE MYTH O L O GY
have take n up his spiritual abode i n the Chia Hsi e n pavilion at
Chiu n g Chow in Sze chuan Province . Al l the re fe r e nce s to
Chan g Hsi e n conn e ct him with Sze chuan Province an d he may
b e conside r e d as a sp e cial g uardian o f this part o f China H e is.

r e pre se nt e d as a man o f nobl e b e aring carrying a cro ss bow and

-

arrows Ab o ve his h e ad ar e clouds in which are s e e n t he sun

.

and the h e ave nly d o g re pute d to de vour t he sun at the time o f

,

e clips e s . In a ddition to his ability to g ive chil dre n to suppli

ants, he was also abl e to ward o ff calamiti e s H e is g ive n t he
.

”
ce ntral position in the Al l Childr e n s Hall ( P ai i z n T ang ) ,
’ ’
'
—

but worship O f this de ity has n e ve r b e e n wide spre ad It is a

-
.

S in g ular e xampl e o f t he failure o f an E mp e ror to supplant the

worship in t e mpl e s o f the for e ig n g odde ss Kuan Yin by that o f

a pure ly indig e nous de ity who would have b e e n worshipp e d in
t he hom e and as such it d e s e rve s notice
,
. For once Imp e rial
patronag e fail e d to dive rt the p e opl e from an e arli e r choice .
86 CHI N E SE MYTH O L O GY
fi fth day Of the fi fth moon In m e mory of him the p e opl e
.

O f his district o fl e r e d sacrific e s to him annuall y on this dat e

and the cu stom g radually spre ad until it was trans forme d

into the Fi fth Moon Fe a st o r , as it is O ft e n call e d, the
,

Dra g on Fe stival The most int e r e stin g part Of Falling into

.

Troubl e is the Nin e Song s in which e l e ve n h e ro e s ar e

FI G . 2 3. H S IAO SSU MI NG
‘
c e l e brat e d Th e se e l e ve n are re ally only nin e , fo r SSIi Ming
.

is d ivide d into two p e rsons s e nior and j unior and unde r Hsiang
, ,

Chii n t he two daug ht e rs O f Y ao H sian g Fu j en are tre at e d

,
—
,

e ach unde r a s e parat e h e adin g If th e se four h e adin g s are

.

combin e d into two as is u sual in lit e rary re fe re n ce s t he Nin e ,

S on g s in r e ality are conn e ct e d with nin e h e ro e s Th e se we r e .

all h e ro e s ori g inally Of the Stat e Of Ch u which is the mode rn

’
,

Hup e h ( and part o f Hunan ) but have be come national by the

,
88 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
popularity o f this po e m Th e s e h e ro e s have not only be e n

“
.

made famous in po e try , th e y have also be e n paint e d by famous

a rti sts The N in e Song s paint e d by Li Kung lin O f the

“
-
.

S u ng dyna sty is in t he Gove rnm e nt Mus e um at Pe king and is ,

o ne Of The Four B e autiful O bj e ct s ( 3512 m m chn) o f the

’

E mp e ror Ch i e n Lung
’
The illustrations o f th e se h e ro e s are
.

FI G . 25 . Y U N CHU NG CHU N
take n from L i s painting The foll o win g is a S hort de scription
’
.

O f e ach Of t he nin e h e ro e s

Tun Huan T ai I was worshipp e d in t he e a st e rn part

( )
’
1 g g
o f Ch u as t he E ast e rn E mp e ror
’
.

Chun i n is t he g o d O f the clouds

( ) Y C h i
'

2 ii n g .

( 3) H s ian g Ch ii n is t h e g o d Of t he wat e rways Of Hsiang

( mode rn Hunan ) .

a H ian h e two daug ht e rs of E mp e ror Yao the

( ) s g F u j—
én t, ,

Olde r be in g nam e d W O Huang and the young e r Nii Ying

‘
.
90 CHI N E SE MYTH O L O GY
H sian g Chun is s e parat e d from Hsiang Fu j e n in this e l e g y -

thoug h th e y are usually j oin e d tog e th e r und e r the o n e t e rm

Hsian g Chii n .

5) Tung Chun is t he g o d Of the sun risin g in the East .

( 6 ) H O P O is g o d Of t he Ye llow R ive r according t o the ,

stat e m e nt o f Chuang Tzii H e has the form of a man This

. .

nam e se e ms int e rchang e abl e with that o f t he g o d Of the wat e rs,

FI G . 27 . H S NG
IA FU J EN
-

Shui Sh én , Of the g o d of t he fish e s Y u P O , and Of two oth e r

,

g ods O f the wat e rs call e d F en g I and Shui I Th e po e m unde r

.

this h e ading in th e s e Nin e Song s re fe rs to a j ourn e y made

by H O P 0 in company with a maide n who fe ll into t he wate r and
was re scu e d by him and take n to the fi sh scal e hou se ( yn lin
'
-

( 7 ) Shan Ku e i is a de mon o f the mountains Gil e s in his .

,

Chin e se Li t e ram r e has translat e d this po e m the first part Of,

 GR E AT NATI O NAL H ER O E S 91
which de scribe s the de mon as follows M e thinks th e r e is a
g e nius O f th e hills clad in wi staria g irdl e d with ivy with smil
, , ,

in g lip s O f W it ching mi e n ridin g o n the r e d pard wild cats g al

, ,

loping in the re ar r e clining in a chariot w

,
ith banne rs o f cassia,
,

cloake d with the orchid g irt with azal e a cullin g the p e rfume Of
, ,

swe e t flowe rs to l e ave be hin d a memory in the h e ar t ”

’

FI G . 28 . TU NG C H U N

( 8 ) Ku o S han g t he patriot who die d fo r his country This

, .

patriot accor d ing to the po e m , face d a body o f e n e mi e s as

,
”
thi ck as the dark clouds .

( 9) Li Hun , t he ce re monialist is worshipp e d on account o f

,

his p e rse ve ran ce in t he co rr e ct Obs e r vation o f ce r e mony e ve n at

th e co st Of his o wn li fe .

Th e se nine h e ro e s have be en ce l e brat e d by many po e ts since

the tim e o f Ch ii Yuan and t he po e tical phrase s us e d in d e
’
’

,
92 CHI N ES E MYTH O L O GY
scribing th e m have b e e n re produce d and re constructe d in num
b e rl e S s po e ms TO lit e rary m e n th e y ar e national h e ro e s but
.
,

th e y have n e ve r b e com e popular among t he common p e ople .

Th e y ar e all mythi cal charact e rs .

In contrast to th e se thre e historical charact e rs must b e m e n

,

tio n e d whose liv e s contribut e d in lar g e m e asu re t o the b e li e f

FI G . 2 9. H o P0

in myst e ry and mag ic, althoug h th e re are fe w myths told con

c e rnin g th e se m e n th e ms e lv e s The first Of the thre e is Chang
.

Liang At the clo se of the S hort live d Ch in dynasty, 2 09 B C ,

.
-
’
. .

two military l e ade rs, Liu Pang and Hsiang Chi cont e nde d fo r,

t h e mast e ry and for a long tim e t he latt e r was uniformly v ic

,

t o r io u s
. Finally the Kuang W u t e rm s o f p e ace we r e n e g otiat e d
by which the fath e r and wi fe O f Liu Pan g we re re store d to him ;
but no soon e r had th e y r e turn e d than Liu Pang proce e de d to
br e ak the tre aty and ag ain to attack Hsiang Chi , whom he
 “
94 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
t he world to follow t he e xampl e O f Ch ih Sung Tzu who , ’

a ccor d ing to t he L ie h H sie n C hnan was the arbite r O f rain in

,

t h e p e rio d o f t h e l e g e ndary Sh en Nu n g H e d e vote d hims e l f

.

to a study of the do ctrin e s o f Huan g Ti and Lao Tzii abstain e d '

from food and soug ht fo r immortality It was chi e fly d u e to

.

his e xampl e that his de sce ndant o f the e ig hth g e n e ration, Chang
Tao lin g de vot e d hims e l f t o the my st e ri e s o f alch e my
-

,
.

FI G .
31 . KU O S H A NG

O ut o f the stirring e ve nts at the clo se Han dynasty as

o f th e ,

a re sult Of which the country was divide d into the Thre e King
.

doms ( San Ku o ) o f Shu W e i and W u , e m e rg e s Kuan Y ii who

,

lat e r b e cam e the g o d o f war Th e se e ve nt s are de scribe d with

.

furth e r de tails in Chapt e r X I V Kuan Y ii was t he S worn

.

broth e r o f Liu P e i and followe d him durin g his turbul e nt

care e r H e was g ive n charg e Of Hsia p i ( the mode rn H su ’ '

-
.
 G R E AT N ATI O NAL H E R O E S 95
Chow in ,
Provin ce ) but durin g the de fe at which Liu
Kiang si
P e i su fi e re d at the han d s o f Ts ao Ts ao h e was capture d ’ ’

Ts ao Ts ao tre ate d Kuan Y il w

, .

’ ’
ith g re at conside ration Thi s .

kin dl y tre atme nt l e d Kuan Y ii to assist Ts ao Ts ao wh e n the .

’ ’

latt e r was attacke d by Yu an S hao and with his o wn hands he ”

,

sl e w Y e n Liang who was o n e o f Yuan Shao s g e n e rals Afte r

’

’
.

this e xhibition O f his g ratitude he se nt a r e sp e ctful l e tte r to

Ts ao Ts ao r e sig ning his po sition and ag ain j oin e d t he standard
’ ’

Of his sworn broth e r Liu P e i H e , .

assiste d Liu P e i in his c ampaig ns in

Ce ntral China an d was appointe d ,

to the charg e Of Hsiang Yang and

Ching Chow in mode rn Hup e h
Province wh e re he a cquir e d a
,

g r e at r e p u t ai io n fo r the b e n e v o
l e nce o f his rule In t he attack .

made by S u n Ch uan founde r O f ’

,

t he Kin g dom o f W u Kuan Y ii was

'

S lain . The E mp e ror Hui Tsung ,

1 100 1 1 2 6
—
A D Of the . Sung
.
,

dynasty e nnobl e d Kuan Y ii as

,

the Duk e O f Ch ung Hui an d his

’

KU A N Y U
,
F G 32 I
succe s sor Ch i n Tsun g rai se d hi m
’
. .
,

, G , W R on OF A

to the rank o f a Prince during the

days wh e n t he Su ng s we r e fl e e ing from K ai feng t o Hang ’ -

chow The E mp e ror W an Li I 57 2 1 6 2 0 A D Of the Ming

.
,
—
. .
,

dynas ty de ifi e d Kuan Y u co nfe rring upon him the titl e o f

, ,

the patriotic assi stant o f H e av e n and prot e ctor o f his coun

try ( Hsi e h t i e n hu k u O Chung i ta ti ) During the re ig n o f
’
.

Ch i e n Lung 1 7 36 1 7 96 A D o f the Manchu dynasty this

’
,
—
. .
, ,

titl e was abbre viat e d but Kuan Y il was furth e r honoure d by b e

,

ing made t he prot e ctor o f th e dynasty In 1 9 14 the R e public .

orde r e d that sa crifi ce s should b e Offe re d to him in military

te mpl e s along with Y O Fe i .
96 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
During the troublous tim e s that be fe ll the E mp e ror Hsuan
Tsung 7 1 3 7 56 A D o f the T an g dynasty o n e o f t he g r e at e st
,
—
. .
,
’
,

o f China s lon g list o f e min e nt g e n e rals, Ku o Tz u i, cam e into

’ -

promin e n ce The corruption o f t he court whi ch ce ntre d around

.

t he E mpr e ss Yan g Ku e i fe i r e sult e d in t he r e b e llion o f An L u

-

shan who fo r a tim e e stablish e d him se l f as t he E mp e ror Hsiun g

W u o f the Y e n dynasty ( in t he mode rn Chihli Provin ce ) .

Throug h brilliant campaig ns ag ainst

the r e b e l Ku o Tz II i succ e e de d in
'

r e cove rin g all the te rritory which

had be e n lo st H e foug ht ag ainst .

t he Targ u ts and t he Tu r fan s Fo r .

more than tw e nty y e ars the supre m e

military powe r was in his hands and
h e e xe r cis e d it with e ntir e loyalty
to the dissolute E mp e ror H e .

use d no favouriti sm in the s e l e ction

O f h is subordinate s and did not al ,

low his troop s to mole st the p e opl e .

The E mp e ror g av e his d aug ht e r in

marriag e to his so n H e se rve d .

during the r e ig n s O f th e se E mp e r
o r s O f t h e T an g dynasty by e ach
’
,

O f whom he was e qually honour e d

and tru st e d H e di e d in 7 8 1 A D
Ko o Tzfi
.

F G 33
. .

I . .
-
I

at the ag e o f e ig hty fiv e H e is -
.

said to have be e n mor e than se ve n fe e t in h e ig ht and to have

had th e re fore a commanding pre se n ce H e was e nnobl e d as
, ,
.

t h e Prin ce o f Fén yang in 7 6 3 by th e E mp e ror Tai Tsung and

-

was g ive n the titl e o f Imp e ri al Fath e r ( Shang Fu ) by the

E mp e ror Te Tsun g His po sthumous titl e was Patrioti c Mili
.

t ar ist ( Chun g W u ) In mod e rn tim e s h e is worshipp e d in

.

‘
many pla ce s as the g o d O f rich e s A ccording to the S h en H sie n
.

;T nn g C hi e n t he ori g in o f this worship was in a vi sit paid to

’
 C H A PTE R IX

T H E A N I MA L A N D V E G E TA BL E W O R L D S
CCO RD I NiG to t he L i Ki th e re ar e four b e n e vol e nt o r
spiritual animal s ( ssnl in g ) Th e r e are the unicorn ( ch i
'
’
.

‘
lin ) , t he pho e nix ( féng hn an g ) the tortoi se ( hn e i ) and t he
—
,
_
,

drag on ( lnn g ) The unicorn is at the h e ad Of all quadrup e ds

.
,

t he pho e nix of all birds th e tortoi se o f all mollu sc s and the

, ,

dr ag on o f all scaly anim als Th e re ar e oth e r animals which

.

e nt e r into t he myth s O f China , such as t h e cran e t h e fox the , ,

ti g e r but th e se four spiritual on e s are O f g re ate st importance

, .

The uni corn is said to have the body o f a de e r the tail o f an ,

ox ,
and the hoo fs o f a horse It has o ne so ft horn g rowin g out
.

o f t he c e ntr e O f t he h e ad It is fiv e colour e d o n its back and

.
-

ye llo w o n its be lly It e ats no living ve g e tation and n e ve r

.

walks o n g re e n g rass It has a g ood disposition toward oth e r

.

animals It i s said to app e ar at the birth o f g ood sove re ig ns o r

.

o f sag e s Any inj ury inflict e d upon it is a pr e sag e o f coming

.

d i sast e rs I ts e arli e st app e aran ce was in t he g arde n o f t he Y e l

.

low E mp e ror, 2 6 97 B C Lat e r two un icorns took up th e ir

. .

abo de in P ing yang t he capital city o f the E mp e ror Y ao Still

’ —
,
.

lat e r o n e app e are d to the moth e r o f Con fucius be fore his birth ,

wh e r e upon S he vomit e d up a j ade tabl e t o n which was an in

scription in prais e Of t he futur e sa g e Just b e fore the de ath o f
.

Confucius a chariote e r inj ur e d a unicorn thus fore t e lling the ,

immin e nce Of his de ath The mal e is call e d ch i and the fe mal e
.
’
,

lin the combination O f the two cha r act e rs b e in g use d as a g e n e ric

,

t e rm .

The pho en i x i s a myste rious but most be auti ful bird Its .

plumage is a bl e nding of the five colours and its call is a swe e t ,

 TH E AN I MAL A ND VE G E TABL E W OR LD S 99
harmony O f the fiv e not e s It had its orig in in the su n and re p
.

re se nt s the a ctive prin cipl e Yang , or nature 3 o r a ccor d ing to

,

anoth e r account it was cr e ate d ii i the land O f the sag e s It .

bath e s only in th e pure st o f wate r which flows from the K u n ’

lun Mountain s and it pa sse s th e nig ht in the cave O f Tan It

,
.

can rai se it s b e autiful tail to th e h e i ght Of six fe e t W h e r e ve r .

FI G .
34 . T H E P H OE N IX

it g o e s all the oth e r thre e hundre d and sixty vari e ti e s of birds

asse mbl e to pay it homag e Like the un i corn i t i s sai d to have
.

app e are d at t he time O f Huang Ti and al so during t he re i g n

,

O f t he E mp e rors S hao Hao and Yao 2 597 2 5 1 4 B C ,

It s ap
—
. .

p e a r an ce is an om e n o f pro sp e rity and wh e

,
n it g o e s away t h e

country i s V i si t e d with calamiti e s Th e r e are many a ccount s O f

.

its app e aran ce to fortunat e monar ch s t he la st o f th e se b e ing at

,

t he g rave O f t he fath e r o f Hung W u founde r of t he Min g dy

,
I 00 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
na sty, 1 36 8 99 A D , at Fén g yan g in t he Province o f Anhui
—
. .
-

It was con si d e r e d a favourabl e S i g n fo r thi s monarch that the

‘
nam e O f his birthplac e contain e d the chara ct e r feng o n e o f the ,

two chara ct e rs whi ch make the nam e o f the pho e nix .

The tort o ise was asso ciat e d with divination from the dawn o f
Chin e s e history Its carapa ce was h e at e d in a strong fire and
.

from the r e sultant lin e s or crackl e s th e fat e s w e r e for e told .

This custom was alre ady in v o g u e in t he tim e o f t he Y e llow

E mp e ror Huang Ti The Gr e at E mp e ror Y ii ( Ta Y ii ) saw a
’

, .

tortois e com e up o u t O f t he L O Rive r and on its carapace we re

proph e tic ide og raphs as alre ady narrate d Th e r e are fre que nt
,
.

r e fe r e n ce s to t he tortoise in the Book O f R ite s ( L i Ki ) and

oth e r classi cal writing s It has be e n honour e d continuously
.

from antiquity down to o u r pre se nt tim e s Dor é m e ntions an .

Imp e rial E d i ct i ssue d to the late Li Hung chan g orde ring him -

t o O ffe r a sa crifi ce o f thank sgi ving to t he tortoi se fo r its p r o te c

tion o f the dyk e s O f the Ye llow R ive r In an ci e nt tim e s a larg e .

tortoi se ( yiian hn e i ) was con side r e d a symbol o f t he control Of

t he E mpir e in t he sam e mann e r as t he own e r ship of t he Nin e

Tripods It has be e n j oine d in lit e rature with t he crane as an

.

e mbl e m o f long e vity It has al so had anoth e r symbolic m e an

.

in g i e o f th e vi ctory o f r ig ht In th e Ku e i Sh é painting th e re
,
. .
‘
.

is a de ath strugg l e b e twe e n a tortoi se and a snake in whi ch t he

tortoise is vi ctor In this painting the tortoi se is the symbol o f
.

the powe r O f ri g ht e ou sn e ss and t he snake o f t he pow e r o f e vil

,
.

O n account of its propitiou s nature it is u se d as a p e de stal ( hn e i

f n ) o n whi c h tabl e ts ar e pla ce d T h e e arli e st tabl e t O f this sort
.

o f which th e r e is a r e cord known to m e was cre at e d durin g t he ,

r e ig n o f Ch un Hua 990 995 A D , O f the Sung dynasty and o n

’
,
—
. .
,

it w e re inscribe d passag e s from the Classic o f Filial Pie ty

( H siao Kin g ) Marve llous powe rs are a scribe d to the tortoise
. .

In the W at e r Classic ( S hn i King ) it is said that wh e n the ,

tortoise is a thou sand ye ars o l d it can conve rse with m e n In .

anoth e r book it is narrat e d that during the li fe o f Su n Ch uan, ’

10 2 CHI N ESE MYTH O L O GY
can r e nde r its e l f vi sibl e o r invisibl e at ple asure , and it can also
chan g e its app e aran ce in colour an d in S ize In the spring it
.

mounts to the h e ave ns and in the autumn it s e e ks r e fug e in the

,

wat e r It is the S ig n and symbol o f Imp e rial authority Dur

. .

in g t he lat e Manchu dyna sty it was h e ld in e sp e cial honour and ,

t h e fiv e claw e d dra g on was adopt e d as a royal pat e nt

-
E ve ry .

thing us e d by the E mp e ror was de scribe d in t e rms Of a drag on

FI G .
35 . TH E DR A G O N, LU N G

drag on thron e drag on cloth e s drago n b e d, d rag on boat

-

,
-

,
- -
.

The de scriptions and pictorial r e pre se ntations O f the drag on

vary in de tails W h e n Mr Hat ch was hunting for a de sig n
. .

fo r the coins to b e is su e d by t he national mints he found n e arly ,

o n e hundr e d di ffe r e nt patt e rn s o f t he drag on Th e re ar e how .

,

e ve r ,
ce rtain charact e ristics common to all a b e ard e d h e ad
—

with horns a s caly body and claws o n the fe e t The drag on

, ,
.

controls the clouds and rain It app e ars in the black clouds
‘

.
 TH E ANIMAL A ND V E G E TABL E W O R LDS 1 03

whi ch pre ce de a thunde r storm and from the di ffe re nt shap e s

,

which th e s e clouds assum e have ari se n the various forms O f t he

drag on A larg e horse o r a ve ry fast o n e is ca ll e d a dr ag on
.

o r som e tim e s a drag on in fl ig ht ( ln n g fe i )

— -
This t e rm is in .

fre que nt u se o n the sig nboard s of live ry stabl e s and in re ce nt , ,

ye ars O f publi c ga rag e s The drag on is always in short an

,
.
, ,

ome n o f g oo d fortune .

In addi tion to th e se four animals th e r e are oth e rs which

‘

have a larg e place in e arly myths The tig e r ( hn ) was .

,

FI G .
36 . TH E Fo x

mounte d by Chang Tao ling wh e n he asce nde d to He ave n ac

-

co rding to som e a cc ounts , oth e rs r e pre se nt him as moun ting a

drag on Lao Tz u made his as ce nt on a co w The ti g e r is O ft e n
. .

paint e d o n portal s wh e r e it act s as g uardi an It is r e put e d to .

live to a gr e at Old ag e The fox ( hn Ii ) is the symbol o f

.
,

cunning and as sociat e s with fairi e s The monk e y ( ho n ) has

, .
,

control o f witch e s and hobg obl i ns The rabbit . is said

to live in t he moon wh e re it pounds o u t t he drug s from whi ch
t he e lixir Of life is made The S han H ai King m e ntions many
.

curious animals su ch as the h e ave nly d o g ( t ie n ho n ) whic h

,
’
,

has a whit e h e ad and the g e n e ral app e arance o f a fo x ; also

1 04 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
a wat e r hors e ( si mi in a ) , with strip e d back and the tail o f an
—

ox . Th e re are four oth e r animals with n am e s which hav e

sounds similar to the symbolic m e an ing with which th e y ar e
conn e ct e d An e xampl e Of this imit ative u se o f words is the
.

word for lion whi ch is S hih As this is also t he sound o f the

.

word which m e an s t e ach e r a lion is the sug g e stive symbol fo r

,

a t e a ch e r The sound O f t he charact e r whi ch m e ans de e r is

.

In ; it also is that Of t he chara ct e r m e anin g promotion and thus ,

a de e r symbolize s promotion The word fo r a bat , fn has the .

,

sam e sound a s the word fo r happin e ss ; an e ag l e yin as that , ,

fo r t he an swe r to praye r , and e ach sugg e sts its appropri ate

m e aning wh e n us e d pi ctorially The cran e hsie n ho is a sym .
, ,

bol of long e vity and t he roo st e r a g uardian ag ainst e vil in flu

,

e n ce s .Tsén g Ts an a di scipl e o f Con fu ci us spar e d the li fe

’
, ,

o f a wounde d cran e which fl e w away and lat e r r e turn e d with

its mat e , e a ch o f th e m carrying in its mouth a p e arl a Th e se

w e re pre se nt e d to Ts eng Ts an as a re ward fo r his kindne ss ’
.

Thoug h th e re are fe w an ci e nt myt hs conn e ct e d with any o f

th e se infe rior animal s whi ch are spoke n O f in this parag raph ,

th e y app e ar in the fairy tal e s which ar e narrat e d late r in this

-

volum e and it is w e ll to be familiar with th e ir symbolic m e an

,

in g . Th e y are t he cre ations chi e fly of the scholars O f t he

T an g and Sung dynastie s who u sed the marve llous tal e s
’
,

conn e ct e d with th e se animals as a m e ans o f impr e ssin g the co m

m o n p e opl e with t he e xtraordinary quality O f t he Taoist doc
trine in t he sam e way as the Buddhist pro pag andists g ain e d a
,

h e arin g throug h accounts O f the mira culous powe rs Of th e ir

de iti e s .

In t he ve g e tabl e kin g dom se ve ral tre e s ar e e sp e cially hon

o u r e d on account O f th e ir suppos e d mag ical influ e nc e Th e .

p e ach tr e e is a symbol Of long e vity It is said that o n e Of

-
.

th e se tre e s ( p an t a o ) g r e w ne ar the palace o f Hsi W an g Mu

’ ’

and that its fruit rip e n e d only o n ce in thre e thousand ye ars .

This fairy moth e r be stowe d the fruit upon the mortals whom
106 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
8 27 7 8 1
—
and that he was a pupil o f Ch iu Chén j e n H e
B C
. .
,
’ — .

continually wand e r e d about, and o n e o f his most famous e n

count e rs was that with Su n S su miao who die d in 6 8 2 A D
-
. .

Sun was a native Of Sh e nsi and was a pre co cious child who
studi e d the do ctrin e s o f Lao Tz u whil e still ve ry young O n e .

day Sun saw a sh e ph e rd who was b e ating a s e rp e nt H e took .

O E his o wn cloth e s and g ave th e m to t he S h e ph e rd as a pric e

for allowin g it to g o fre e A fe w days lat e r whil e he was

.
,

wande rin g in the fi e lds, he saw a horse man dre sse d in whit e
a pproa chin g him The man di smounte d and salut e d Sun say
.

in g : My fath e r has orde r e d m e to com e to you with the r e

”
qu e st that you will vi sit him and r e ce ive his thanks He .

a ske d Su n to mount his hors e and soon th e y we re in a wo n

,

d e r fu l city at th e g at e o f a palace W h e n Su n e nte re d he was

.

m e t by a nobl e man who g r e e t e d him with profuse thanks .

S hortly a ft e r a young woman broug ht in a child dr e sse d in

blue and said to Su n : This child O f min e we nt o u t to play
,

and a sh e ph e rd be at him frig ht fully Y o u g ave your g ar .

”
m e nts as a pri ce fo r his lib e rty, and I de sir e to thank yo u .

Thi s child was the se rp e nt whom Sun had save d a fe w days

be for e Sun found that his ho st was Ching Yang and that t he
.

be auti ful house was the Palace O f W at e rs ( Shui Kung )”

.

Afte r this incide nt Sun r e turn e d to his qui e t house in the

mountains wh e re he sp e nt his tim e in pr e paring e lixirs Of
immortality and p e r formin g mira cl e s O n e concoction would
.

iv immunity f rom p e stil e n ce if d runk on N e w Y e ar s Day

’
g e .

Sun is the r e put e d author O f se ve ral books on m e di cal subj e cts .

Th e r e is anoth e r a ccount O f the ori g in o f Y 0 W ang W h e n .

Han Ch i , 100 8 107 5 A D t he g re at stat e sman who oppo se d

’ —
. .
,

t he ag rarian th e ori e s o f W ang An shih was six o r se ve n

'
-

ye ars o f ag e he was ve ry ill H e sudd e nly cri e d out : Th e re

.

is a Taoist l e adin g a d o g who will cure m e Th e re upon he

broke out in a viol e nt p e r spiration an d was cure d Accordin g .

to t he L ie h H sie n Cha an the p e rson who cure d him was Chang

,
 TH E AN IMAL A ND V E G E TABL E W OR LD S 107

Shan chun a native o f P e ki ng d uring the re ig n Of the E mpr e ss

-

W u Hou O f the T ang dynasty 6 8 4 7 0 5 A D H e practi se d

’ —

t he Taoist magi cal art s and al w

“
.
,
.

ays l e d aro u nd a black d o g

whi ch was call e d Black Drag on ( W u lung ) Accord ing -
.

to this account it is Chang who is popularly spo ke n Of as King

FI G .
37 . HUA T ’
O, TH E G R E A T P H Y S I C IA N
o fM e di cine s ( Y O W ang ) The p e rson who is g e n e rally .

cre dit e d with having b e com e Y o W an g is Hua T O who die d in ’

,

2 20 A D t he ph ysi c ian o f Ts ao Ts ao During his li fe time ’ ’ -

. .
,
.

he was abl e to p e r form many wonde rfu l cure s fo r int e rnal

di se ase s and also many surgi cal op e rations His sup e rnatural .

powe r is now be soug ht by worshipp e rs at his shrin e .

 C H A P TE R X

S U P E R N A TU R A L B E IN G S

H ER E are thre e g rade s o f sup e rnatural be ing s The .

hig h e st is compose d o f The Holy ( Sh éng ) Th e se .

are m e n Of e xtraordi n ary ability and p e rf e ct virtu e The .

se co nd rank is that Of The P e rfe ct ( Ch en Jen ) Th e se are .

p e r sons who hav e p e r fe cte d

th e ir knowl e dg e o f the W ay ,

o r Tao The ir bodi e s are

.

e th e re al and th e y ar e abl e to
,

fly throug h the air o n the

wing s O f t he wind Th e y .
~

pass o n the clouds from o n e

world to anoth e r and live in
the star s Th e y are sup e rio r
.

t o all natural laws and ar e

rule rs ove r the Immortals .

The thir d class is The Im

mortals ( Hsie n , o r H si e n
J e n ) Th e s
.e ar e t h e a sc e tics

with Old bodi e s and e te rnally

youn g spirits Th e y e nj oy .

p e rfe ct h e alth fre e from dis

,
F G 38
I TH E T ST TR N ITY A OI I
e as e and de ath and ar e fo r
. .

T E N PAO L NG P
’
I , S H EN PA
I Ao , O
,

tu n ate poss e ssors Of all kinds

o f happin e s s It is probabl e that th e se thre e g rade s o f sup e r
.

nat ural be ing s are take n from the e arli e r classical allusion to the
thre e g ra d e s o f the W o rthy, t he Holy an d the H e ave nly
( Hsi e n Sh én g T i e n )
’
.
, ,
1 10 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
Lao Tz ii , who in this conne cti on i s popularly S pok e n Of as
“
’

Sh én Pao The first O f th e se is sove r e ig n Of the

. J a de
”
H e ave n ( Y ii Ch ing ) t he se cond is sove re ig n o f the Sup e
’

rior H e ave n ( Shan g Ch in g ) and t he third is sove re ig n Of

’
,

t he Hig h e st H e ave n ( T ai Ch ing ) In e num e rations Of

’ ’
.

this Taoist Trinity the place O f the first Divinity, Y iIan Shih '

FI G .
40 . TAO C H U N

is fre que ntly take n by t he Jade E mp e ror, Y u Huang W ith .

t he San Ch in g ar e associat e d
’
Th e Four Guardian s (s i
W e i ) , oth e rwise kn own as The Four H e ave nly King s
( Ssu T i e n W ang ) Thoug h this Trinity Of Thr e e Puriti e s
’
.

was an inve ntion Of the s cholars O f the T ang dyna sty it was
’
,

not until the Yuan dynasty that t he myth assum e d its pre s e nt
form .

‘
According to t he S hén H sie n T nng Chie n the first o f the ’
,

Trinity Yu an Shih was a so n o f t he Gre at Cre ator ( P an

, ,
’

Ku ) Aft e r t he work O f cr e ation was compl e te d P an Ku d e

.
,
’
 S UP E R NATURAL B E I NGS 111

sire d to se ewhat he had don e His spirit transporte d its e lf

“
.

o n the W i n g s o f t he wind t o Eu Y ii Tai W h e r e h e m e t The

Holy W o man ( T ai Yu an ) ’
Th e Gr e at O ri g inal
,
”
Sh e .

was a virg in who had attain e d the ag e O f e i g hty y e ars and

live d as a re cluse on the mountain o f Ch o W O She sub ’
.

sist e d sol e ly o n air and clouds and in he r Own p e rson com

,

bin e d both th e a ctive and passive powe r s O f natur e P an Ku .

’

was charm e d with he r

purity and made an o c
casion to e nt e r he r bo d y
in the form o f a pure
ray o f lig ht The
.

woman be cam e pre g

nant and r e maine d in
t h i s co n difibn f o r
twe lve ye ars w h e n ,

she g ave birth to Yu an

S hih who was abl e to

,

walk an d t alk from the

tim e he was born A .

cloud o f fi ve c olours
surrounde d his bo d y .

The de ity Ch én W u is
a r e incarnation o f
Yuan S hih H e is the
.

FG 41 CH EN W U
I . .

rul e r Of the abo de O f

darkn e ss and his full titl e is H suan T i e n Shang Ti H e is also
,
’
.

call e d g o d O f the North Pol e ( P e i chi Chén Ch ii n ) W hil e

-
.

he d o e s not take the pla ce Of Yuan S hih in th e Trinity h e is ,

g ive n a shrin e to hims e l f in larg e Taoi st t e mpl e s The s e cond .

p e rs o n O f t he Trinity is said to have be e n a man who foug ht fo r

the tyrant Chou Hsin t he last sove r e i g n O f th e S hang d yna sty
,
.

H e is r e pr e s e nte d as we aring a r e d g arm e nt ri chly bro cad e d,

and riding a o ne horn e d mon ste r h n e i n in It is r e corde d in
—
,
’
.
1 12 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
‘ ‘
t he that he was succoure d by Lao Tzu in his
F en g S hen Y e n I
unsucce ssful war fare and that he de vot e d the r e st o f his li fe
,

to study and m e ditation The third p e rson O f the Trinity is the

.

philo soph e r Lao Tz ii whos e e thical t e a chin g s are e ntir e ly Ove r

’

looke d in t he a ccounts o f sup e rnatural powe rs whi ch w e re con

fe rr e d upon him by the last E mp e rors o f the Sun g dynas ty, as
we ll as by all the E mp e ror s o f the Yu an dynasty Among .

th e se tal e s O f Lao Tzu the

m o st popular is that o f
his j ourn e y to the we st
mount e d o n a whit e don
k ey.

In a class by him se l f in ,

fe r io r to the Trinity but

with g re at pr e stig e is ,

W én Ch ang the g o d o f ’
,

lite ratur e who is suppo se d ,

to re side in t he Gre at B e ar
const e llation Th e re are .

many d iEe rin g account s of

his e arthly li fe , but the
most u sually a cce pte d is
that he was o n e Chang Y a
tz u who live d during t he .

FIG 4 2 W EN C H NG ’
A
. .

Chin dynasty
,
in t he third
GO O L T D F TUI E RA RE

or fourth c e ntury A D . .

The E mp e ror Hsuan Tsung 7 1 3 7 56 A D confe rr e d upon him ,

—
. .
,

the r e trosp e ctive titl e o f Pr e sid e nt O f the Board o f R it e s Dur .

in g the r e i g n o f Chén Tsun g 997 10 2 2 A D o f the Sung dy ,

—
. .
,

na sty W én Ch ang app e are d to the g e n e ral L e i Y u chung who

,
’ -

had b e e n appointe d to suppre ss a re b e llion and call e d himse lf ,

the D e ity o f Tz ii t ung ( Tzii t ung S hén ) This name was

’ '
-
’ -

take n from the tradition that Chang Y a tz fi live d in the T2 13

‘

t ung district of the Provin ce Of Sze chuan During the Yuan

’
.
1I 4 . CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
ag e o f hundre d and thirty four he g ath e re d his family Of
o ne -

forty two souls tog e th e r an d W ith th e m all was translate d to

—

H e ave n H e is known as H su Chén j 6n

.
—
.

Th e Immortals ( H si e n ) ar e th e mo st int e re stin g o f t he

thr e e cl asse s O f spiritual b e in g s TW O d iEe re n t Chin e se char

“
.

”
act e r s are us e d fo r t he word Hsi e n o n e with t he me aning ,

of a mountain man and t he oth e r with the m e aning o f a

—

frolickin g cap e ring b e ing Th e se Immo rtals or Fairi e s are

“
.

primarily p e rson s who re tire to t he mountain s for study and

m e d itation The ide o g raph Hsi e n m e anin g
. m ountain ,
”
man is not foun d in any book s writt e n pr e viou s to the Han
,

d yna sty an d it is probabl e that it was inve nt e d durin g t he r e ig n

,

O f t h e E mp e ror Shih Huan O f t h e C h in dyna sty who was a

’
g
de vot e d patron O f t he mag i cal arts The Immortals have t he .

app e arance O f human b e ing s and we ar ordinary cloth e s Th e y .

live to a g ood Ol d ag e and wh e n th e y die th e ir mat e rial body

,

is scatt e re d and t he soul ri se s into t he immortal e th e r O th e r .

accounts o f th e m say that th e ir bo d i e s n e ve r g row o l d and that ,

a ft e r a thousand ye ars th e y have still th e app e aran ce o f youth .

Th e y have fixe d abode s in t he known unive rse but ar e able to ,

move about fro m place to pla ce at pl e asu re .

Th e re ar e t wo O ffi cial abode s O f t he Fairi e s The o n e fo r .

mal e Fairi e s is call e d Tung hua Thi s is unde r t he c ontrol Of

—
.

Tung W an g H is di scipl e s are call e d G e ntl e m e n o f the

.

W ood ( Mu Kung ) The fairyland fo r fe mal e s is H si hua,

.
-

and it is unde r t he control o f H si W an g Mu O th e r place s .

O f r e sid e n ce ar e spok e n O f as th e N in e Pala ce s ( Chiu

Kun g ) , or as t he Mo u ntain s o f the Immortal s ( H si e n
S hari ) o r as t he
,
Te rrito ry o f t he Immortal s ( Hsie n ,

Chin g ) wh e re e ve rything is Obscure and qui e t and wh e r e th e re

, ,

is n o di sturbanc e by t he surroundin g e a rth or air o r as Tun g ,

Fu . Anoth e r abode is stat e d to b e Chiu I a mountain which , ,

accordin g to the W at e r Cla ssi c has nin e p e ak s the s e co nd

”
, ,
”
o f which is Hsi e n T an The Altar O f the Fairi e s
’
,
The most .
 S UP ER N ATU R AL B E I NGS 115

de lig htful abode o f the Immortals is howe ve r The Thre e , ,

Isl e s O f the Bl e st ( S an H si e n Shan ) Th e se thr e e I sl and

.

Mountains ar e P én g lai ’
Fan g Chang and Yin g chou
-

,
— —
.

Th e se i slands we re suppo se d to b e in t he E a st e rn S e a and it ,

was to th e m that the E mp e ror S hih Huan g o f the Ch in ’

dynasty, o n t he advice O f An a se a e xp e dition to s e cure—

_

FI G .
43
. TU NG W A NG KU NG AN D H SI W A NG MU

fro m th e m th e plant of immortality The e xp e dition was l e d

.

by H su Shih and Lu Shén g It is said that t he E mp e ror s e nt

.

in h is ship s thr e e thou san d youth s and maide n s to g e th e r ,

with all manne r O f se e d g r ain and skil ful arti sans The ships

“
.

we re all lo st in a fi e r ce storm Th e se I sl e s are fre que ntly

“
.

”
spok e n o f as part O f t he Happy Lan d ( Fu ti ) The —
.

Huai nan W ang son g t e ll s Of th e abo d e O f the Kin g

-

O f Huai nan in th e se I sl e s O f the Bl e st wh e r e h e live d as a

~
,
116 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
companion Of the E ig ht Immortals This is a ballad of g re at .

popularity .

Th e r e are two rul e rs among the Immortals The fi rst O f .

th e se is the Fairy Que e n Hsi W ang Mu who r e ig ns ove r all , ,

f e mal e g e nii and with he r is asso ciat e d Tun g W an g Kung who

, ,

is the rul e r O f all mal e g e nii Tun g W ang Kung was inve nt e d .

as a Prince con sort fo r t he Fairy Que e n H e is known also as

-
.

Mu Kung His h e av e nly palace has t he blue clouds fo r its

.

walls Th e re is ve ry littl e popular int e re st in this Immo rtal ,

.

and he is almo st e ntire ly e clip se d by his asso ciate H si W ang Mu ,

who is t he mo st fascinating p e rsonag e in Chine se mytholog y .

S he is m e ntion e d in history as conn e ct e d wi th the vi sit o f Mu

W ang The vi sits O f Mu W ang or as he is g e n e rally call e d
.
, ,

Kin g Mu fi fth sove re i g n O f the Chow dyna sty who di e d in

, ,

9 4 6 B C to
. various
. pla
,
c e s north w e st O f an c i e nt China ar e r e -

corde d in t h e Li fe o f Kin g Mu ( Mn T i e n Tza Chn an ) ’

.

O n his j ourn e ys his chariot was drawn by e ig ht wonde rful

horse s Accordin g to t he Bamboo Books his j ourne y was
.

compl e t e d in o n e ye ar but his Life stat e s that it o ccupi e d

,

se ve ral y e ars The most not e d o f his vi sit s was th at to Hsi

.

W ang Mu in t he K u n lun Mountain H si W ang Mu may ’ -

.

have b e e n orig inally the lo cal nam e O f a pla ce fo r which thre e

simpl e Chin e s e ide o g raph s w e re use d to re pr e se nt the sound

“
,

a n d t he nam e o f t h e lo cality may hav e b e e n lik e wi se the nam e

Of its chi e ftain Th e r e is nothing in the Li fe to indicat e

.

t he se x O f this in d ividual but a s t h e third o f t he chara c t e rs

, ,

Mu use d in the tran slit e ration of the nam e Hsi W ang Mu,
’

,
”
has the m e aning O f Moth e r it was se ize d upon by l at e r ,

writ e rs as t he nam e of a woman and she has com e to b e t he ,

Fairy Moth e r around whom countl e ss tal e s ar e ce ntre d The .

Life re cords that wh e n Kin g Mu vi sit e d H si W ang Mu

”
,

he carri e d in his hands t he j ade d i sks which w e re th e e mbl e m

O f his hi g h O f fice and that he g ave valuabl e pr e se nts which
, ,

we r e Obe di e ntly acce pt e d H e al so g ave a banque t to Hsi .

118 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
dynasty by H si W ang Mu At the pre se nt tim e larg e flat .

p e ach e s, which are also call e d p an t ao are g rown in Che hkiang

’ ’
,

Province Th e y have a de li cious flavour It was customary

. .

during the last Manc hu dynasty to s e nd baske ts Of th e se e ve ry

se ason to t he P e kin g Pal ac e .

FI G .
44. FO U R OF T H E EI GHT IMMOR TA L S
LAN T S ’
AI H o ,
-
LI T IE H K U AI, LU TU
’
-
‘
I
NG -
P IN , CHU NG-
LI CH
’
U AN

Am ong the Immortals the mo st famous is the g roup known

as the E ig ht Immortals The Chin e s e nam e fo r th e s e is Pa
.

Hsi e n The numb e r O f th e m e ig ht , is probably copi e d from

.
,

t h e e i g ht o fli ce rs o f stat e durin g t he r e i g n Of W u Ti o f t he

Chin dynasty, 2 6 5 2 90 A D , who w e re known as t he E ig ht

—
. .

”
G e ntl e me n ( Pa Kun g ) Acc ording to the H siao H sne h
'

Inst r uction Of Youth writte n by Chu H si in the e l e ve nth

ce ntury A D th e r e we r e also during the Sung dynasty e ig ht
. .
,
 SUP E R NATUR AL B E I N G S 1 19

g e ntle m e n who we re known as Pa Kung o n account O f th e ir

scholarship As t he E ig ht Immo rtals ar e not m e ntione d in
.

Chin e se boo ks be fore t he Y u an dyn asty it is prob abl e that t he

,

t e rm was chose n a ft e r the mode l e ith e r Of th e s e e ig ht Office rs

O f stat e o r o f th e s e e ig ht scholars .

Th e r e are se ve ral diEe r in g l istS O f the E ig ht Immortals but ,

the most c o mmonly acce pte d o n e is that which is h e r e fo ll owe d :

FIG .
45 . LI T I E H
’
-
K U AI

( ) h kuai was orig inally a man Of g ood stature and

’
1 Li T i e -

fin e app e aran ce Fro m e arly youth he de vot e d himse l f to an

.

a sce ti c li fe livi ng in t he mountain s fo r more than for ty ye ars

, .

H e sat on a r e e d mat and O ft e n forg ot to e at o r sl e e p B e ing

—
.

o f t he sam e surnam e Li as Lao Tz u he b e so u ht t he Gr e at

, , g ,

Mast e r to de sc e nd to e arth in o rde r to t e a ch him the myst e ri e s

Of li fe From tim e to time L ao Tz ii app e are d to Li and
.
 1 20 CHI N ESE MYTH O L O GY
taug ht him t he vanit y o f all e arthly thing s Som e tim e s Lao .

Tz u also summon e d Li to int e rvi e ws in his h e ave nly abod e It .

was wh e n Li was on o n e o f t h e s e trips with L ao Tz u to t he

countri e s o f H si yii that he l e ft his mat e rial body in charg e o f
'

his dis cipl e , Lang Ling with instr uctions to cr e mat e it if he did
,

not re turn within s e ve n days O n the sixth day the discipl e

.

FI G .
46 . CHU NG -
LI CH
’
UA N
was call e d home t o visit his S i ck moth e r and de cide d to cre m at e
Li s p e ri shabl e ph ysic al body According to his orig inal plan
’
.

Li r e turn e d on the s e v e nth day from his ce l e stial j ourn e y ,

only to find that his body had be e n cr e mat e d and that he had
no abode O n lookin g around h e found the body Of a lame
.

be gg ar who had j ust di e d and Li took thi s fo r his o wn doubl e

,

or astral body H e pr o cure d an iro n staE z ie h ienai to sup

.
,
’ -

port the de form e d body which he had adopt e d as his Own , and
12 2 CHI N E SE MYTH O L O GY
o f thel e g e nds co nce rning him whi ch stat e s that his conve rsion
to an asce tic li fe was d u e to the influe nce o f Li T ie h kua i but ’ —
,

it is Of minor importan ce which o n e o f th e se Immo rtals is pl ace d

fi rst o n the list Chung li is re put e d to have liv e d in the Han
.
-

dynasty and fo r this re ason is fre que ntly spoke n o f as Han

,

Chung Ii, i e Chung li o f the Han dynasty Anoth e r l e g e nd

-
. .
-

FI G .
48 . LU TU NG -
P IN , CH U NG -
LI CH
’
UA N

says that he was a military Offici al in the se rvice o f the Duk e

Hsiao o f the Chow dynasty Dor é g ive s fiv e di ffe r e nt a ccounts
.

O f his orig in as narrat e d in books but as all Of th e m ar e re co g

,

n iz e d t o b e fi ctitiou s it matt e r s littl e whi c h account is follow e d .

All the ve r sions o f his life ag re e that he was o n e o f the s e arch

e r s for immortality and that he was a mountain re clus e
,
His .

charact e ristics ar e a b e arde d face , a fan to which is attach e d a

t asse l Of hors e hair which he carri e s in o n e hand and usually, ,
 S UP E R NATU RAL B E I N GS 123

thoug h not always, t he p e ach o f immortality in his oth e r

han d .

Lu Tun pin also known Lu e n and Lu Tsu is said

3) g a s Y -

, ,

to have sprung from a g oo d family and to have passe d the Offi

’

cial e xamination s in t h e hi g h e st rank O n e account stat e s that .

h e b e cam e the mag i strat e O f Té hua whi c h is t h e pr e s e n t city Of —

,

Kiu kiang in Kian g si Lat e r h e b e cam e a r e clu se o n t he Stork

-
.

Pe ak ( H O ling ) O f the L il Mountain s n e ar the pr e s e nt sit e o f

—

Kul ing It was h e re that he discourse d o n the fiv e g rade s o f

.

g e nii an d t he thr e e cat e g ori e s Of m e rits H e r e al so h e m e t t he .

fir e dr ag on who g ave him a mag i c sword with whi ch he was abl e

—

to p e r form many miracl e s O n e a ccount says that he made a .

j ourn e y to Y O yang as a s e ll e r Of Oil in the hop e Of making con

-

ve rts to his d o ctrine During t he ye ar whi ch he sp e nt o n this

.

/
trip he tr ied to fin d som e on e who would b e sufficie ntly unse lfish
not to de man d mor e than t he amount O f o il whi ch t he pri ce war
rante d Finally he found o n e Ol d woman who did not ask fo r
.

more than h e r d u e H e was so pl ease d that he we nt to he r

.

hous e and thre w ri ce into a we ll thus turning the wat e r into ,

H is
'

W in e t h e sal e O f whi ch made t he Ol d woman w e althy

,
.

charact e ri sti cs ar e t he mag ic sword c ha n ya o k n ai whi ch he car , ,

ri e s o n his back an d a fl y switch O f horse hair which he carri e s

,
— —

in his han d .

( 4 ) Lan Ts ai ho is always r e pr e se nt e d as a youth b e a ring a

’ -

baske t O f fruit s an d playing a flut e Th e re has be e n much dis .

pute as to the se x Of this p e rso nag e som e stating that Lan was a ,

fe mal e In Chin e s e th eatrical p e rformance s Lan we ars t he

.

cloth e s o f a woman and talks with t he voice O f a man Lan was .

fond O f S in g in g ballads and som e o f th e se are re corde d in the ,

‘
S o n S hen Chi The b e st known is t he o n e b e gi nnin g Ta t a
.

k o , Lan Ts ai ho ”
and e nding with comm e nts upon the transi
’
-

tory li fe o f mo rtal s The chara cte ri stic O f Lari is a flut e h e ld

.

to t he lip s and playe d upon by both han d s .

Th e se four Immortals ar e fr e qu e ntly portraye d sitting to

1 24 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
ge th r unde r a pin e tre e Chun g 1i Ch uan and Lu Tung pin
e —
.
-
’
-

ar e d ri nkin
g th e win e whi ch Li T i e h kuai is h e atin g fo r th e m
’ —

on a brazi e r whil e Lan Ts ai ho plays fo r th e ir amuse m e nt

,
’ -

upon a flute .

5) Chan g Ku o , who is al so known as Chan g Ku o lao is r e -

p u te d to have b e e n a r e clus e o n t he Chun g T iao Mountain in

’

LAN TS ’
FI G .
49 . AI H O
-

Shansi Province and to have p ass e d back and forth cont i nually
be twe e n F én chow and Chin chow in the sam e Province H e
- -
.

him se lf profe sse d to have b e e n born durin g the re i g n o f t he

E mp e ror Yao . O n e ac count Of his life says that he was s e nt
for by the two E mp e rors Of the T ang dynasty, T ai Tsung and
’ ’

Kao Tsun g , but re fus e d to g o to the capital to se e th e m The .

E mpre ss W u Hou 6 8 5 7 04 A D , ag a in s e nt for him but wh e n

,
—
. .
,

he r m e s se n g e rs arriv e d he was alr e ady dea d Aft e r this he was .

12 6 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
( 6 ) Han Hsian g is r e pute d to have b e e n a n e p h e w o f the
illustrious scholar Han Y a 7 6 8 8 24 A D who was a str e nuous
,
—
. .
,

oppon e nt O f all forms O f mag ic H e be cam e a conve rt o f L 11

.

Tung pin contrary to the wish e s Of his uncl e who de sire d him
—
, ,

to carry o n classical studi e s in pre paration fo r the public e xam

in atio n s Th e youth said that t he obj e c t o f his studi e s d iEe r e d
.

FI G .
51 . H AN H S NG
IA

from that Of his un cl e and that he wi sh e d to b e abl e to produce

g ood win e without t h e u se Of any g rain and al so to b e abl e to
c au se flow e r s to blo ssom in stantan e ously W h e n t he uncl e e x
.

pre ss e d doubt as to his b e ing abl e to de fy the law s o f nature ,

Han H siang put a littl e e arth unde r a basin and upon li fting , ,

it d isclose d two flowe rs on the l e ave s O f which we re writt e n in

, ,

g old charact e rs a po e m of two lin e s of s e v e n charact e rs e ach .

The po e m re fe rr e d to the clouds blockin g the path on t he

Ch ing Pe ak an d snow filling the Lan Pass Han Hsi ang r e
’
.
-
r
 SUPER NATU RAL B E I N G S 127

fuse d to e xplain the m e aning of the po e m but his uncle unde r ,

stood it lat e r wh e n he was e x i le d by t he E mp e ror to Ch ao chou

_
’ —

in Kuang tung Province The c h aract e ri stic O f Han H siang is a

.

ourd — hap e d bask e t full O f t he p e ach e s o f immo rtality and

g S

h e ld in t he two hands S om e time s he is also re pre se nte d hold

.

ing a bouqu e t Of flow e rs .

52 . Ts Ao KU o
’
-
C H IU

7) Ts ao Ku o chiu a ccording to t he H ai Yn Ch n n g K a o
’ -
’ ’
, ,

was a young e r broth e r O f t he E mpre ss O f Jén Tsun g 10 2 3 ,

1 06 4 A D
. . H e wa s a man o f e xe mplar y charact e r who att e mpt e d
to p e r suade his dissolute broth e r to l e ad a g ood li fe H e said .

to his broth e r : Y o u may e s cap e t he p e nalty o f the law but ,

you can n e ve r e lu d e the n e t o f H e ave n which is invisibl e but

”
always pre se nt . H e g ave away all his mon e y t o t he poor and
re tr e ate d to t he moun tains wh e re he live d as a re cluse He re .
12 8 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
he was visit e d by Chung li Ch uan and Lu Tu n g pin with whom
-
’ -

he conv e r se d about spiritual matt e r s In r e ply to th e ir que s .

tion s he sai d that his h e art was H e ave n wh e re upon Chung 1i ,

—

r e pli e d : The h e a rt is H e ave n and H e ave n i s t he W ay You .

”
now know t he or i g i n Of matt e r Aft e r thi s inte rvi e w Ts ao
.
’

was introdu ce d by t he two V i sitors into t he c ompany O f the Im

mortals In r e buttal o f this a cco unt O f Ts ao t he c riti c H u
.
’

Ying lin points o u t that t he hi stori cal re cords O f t he Sun g dy

—

na sty g ive full parti cu lars r e g arding the broth e rs o f this E m

pre ss and that th e re is no acco u n t o f any o n e O f th e m h aving
,

d e cide d to l e ad t he life o f a h e rmit The chara ct e ri sti cs O f

.

Ts ao are that he is d r e sse d in o ffi cial rob e s w e ars an O ffi ci al hat

’
,

and carri e s in his ri g ht hand a tabl e t S ig ni fying his rank and his
ri g ht to imp e rial audi e n ce .

( 8 ) H O H si e n k u is t he only woman classe d among t he Im

—

mortals unl e ss Lan T s ai h o is con ce d e d to have b e e n o n e She

,
’ -
.

was a native O f Tsén g ch én g in Canton Province and live d

— ’
,

during the tim e o f the E mpre s s W u Hou 6 8 4 7 0 5 A D At ,

—
. .

the ag e O f fourt e e n S he dr e amt that by e ating t he powde r o f

‘
moth e r O f p e arl ( yn n in n fén ) S he would attain immortality
- -
.

A ft e r e ating this powde r he r body b e cam e e th e re al and she was

abl e to pass to and fr o am ong the hills at pl e asure S he always .

re turn e d to h e r hom e at nig ht c arrying with he r t he h e rbs

,

which she had g ath e re d during t he day Gradually she stopp e d .

takin g food and at last disapp e ar e d aft e r having b e e n s e nt fo r

, ,

by the E mpr e ss W u Hou Fi fty ye ars lat e r she was se e n float

.

in g upon a cloud and lat e r a magi strat e Ka o Huan g in t he city

, , ,

o f Canton wa s r e warde d with a si g ht of he r o n a ccount o f his

,

r e at virtu e H c haract e ristic is t he form o f a b e autiful

g e r .

woman carryin g in he r h and a lotus fl o we r or som e time s the -

p e a ch o f immortality whi ch was g ive n t o he r by L il Tung pin —

.

In a drama c all e d Th e Ce l e bration o f the Birthday O f H si

W an g Mu by the E i g ht Immortal s an a ccount is g ive n O f t he
spl e ndours in which the Fairy Qu e e n live d In he r palace .
1 30 CHI NE SE MYTH O L O GY
ce el bration was e nde d the E ig ht Immortals l e ft fo r th e ir home s
thoro ug hly intoxi cate d This is o n e o f the e arli e st accounts o f

“
.

t he E ig ht Immortals .

Th e win e whi ch the Immortals drank is call e d c e le stial

win e ( t ie n chin ) Thos e who drank O f it be cam e more in
’ -
.

t e ll ig e n t and qui ck witt e d

-
In r e ality this win e was a swe e t
.

FI G .
54 . H O H SIE N -
KU, CH A NG KU O

‘
h e ave nly d e w ( lean i n ) The S hen I Kin g narrate s that th e re
—
.

was a man living o n the oth e r side O f t he North we st Se a who -

drank fiv e g allons O f this win e daily ; and no won de r for he is ,

said to have be e n two thousand i i ( about six h u ndr e d mil e s ) in

h e i g ht Th e r e is anoth e r kind of win e whi ch is sce nt e d and
.
,

t he drinking O f whi ch is associat e d with the flying of kit e s on

t he ninth day Of the ninth moon This win e is made from the
.

ste ms and l e ave s Of the aste r, which ar e allowe d to f e rm e nt and

 S UP ER NATUR AL B E INGS 1 3I

are said to be rip e for drinki ng o n the n inth day O f the ninth
mo o n o f t he following ye ar A tal e is told o f Fe i Ch ang fang
.
’ —
,

o f the Han dynasty that a di sc i pl e Of his follow e d his a d vice t o

,

to t h hills to d rink ast e r s ce nt e d win e and to fly kit e s on this

g o e -

d ay O n re turnin g hom e h e found that all his dom e stic animals

.

had m e t a viol e nt d e ath and hé k n e w that if he had not fo l

'

FI G .
55
. W E AV I NG DA MSE L AN D S H E P H E R D BOY

lowe d the W i se advi ce g ive n to him by Ch ang he would have ’

‘
m e t a similar fat e Th e F e ng S n Chi narrat e s that o n th e hills
.

O f the Li di stri ct ( N an Yan ) o f Honan Provinc e larg e a st e rs

g
g row In the vall e y be tw e e n th e se hill s th e re is a villag e wh e re
.

many o f the p e opl e live to be o n e hundr e d and twe nty or o n e

hundre d an d thirty ye ars Old o n account o f d rinking wat e r
which is flavoure d by t he aste rs Kite fl ying and the d rinking .
—

Of ast e r sce nte d win e are bo th popularly conn e ct e d with the

-

l e ng th e nin g Of human life .

Conce rning Fe i Ch ang fang who was m e ntion e d in the p re

’ -

ce din g parag raph , it is said that he studi e d mag ic unde r H u

1 32 CHI N E S E MYTH OL O GY
Kung in W ho se powe rs he was le d to be li e ve by Obse rving that
he sl e pt e v e ry nig ht in a g ourd which hun g on his door po st -
.

W h e n Fe i had compl e te d his studi e s and was about to start o u t

fo r his hom e H u Kung pre se nt e d him with a mag i cal r o d by
,

th e u se O f whi ch h e c ould in stantly transport himse l f without

e Eo r t from o n e pla ce to anoth e r .H e thoug ht wh e n h e r e ach e d

hom e that he had be e n abse nt only fo r a short tim e but disco v ,

e r e d that mor e than a hal f scor e y e ars had pa ss e d

-
W h e n he
.

laid d own his sta ff in his home it b e cam e a drag on and th e re ,

a ft e r h e was abl e to control the pow e rs o f darkn e ss .

O n e o f the mo st popular l e g e nds is that O f The W e avin g

Dam se l ( Chih Nil ) S he was de prive d o f he r love r The
.
,

S h e ph e rd Boy ( N iu Lan g ) in h is youth but

,
ma g pi e s hav e

take n pity upon he r in he r lon e lin e ss E ve ry ye ar on the se v

.
,

e n t h day o f t he s e v e nth moon mag pi e s fly to the Milky W ay

,

( h ) ov r whi h th y mak a brid by a h cat hin h

’
t i e n o
,
e c e e g e e c c g t e

h e ad fe ath e r s o f the bird n e ar e st to him O n this bridg e t he

-
.

s e parate d coupl e are abl e to pass to e ach oth e r and re n e w the ir

vows o f e t e rnal love .
1 34 CHI NES E MYTH O L O GY
from hig h pr e ci p i ce s W i thout takin g harm Th e se books which .
,

ar e pro fe ss e d e xpo sitions O f Lao Tz il form a curious combin a

,

tion O f e thical pre ce pts with o ccult practice s Th e y w e re t he .

for e runn e rs o f t h e poli cy an d ide as o f S hih Huang who is al ,

mo st as famou s ln Chin e se hi story fo r his patrona g e O f occult

ism as for his burning o f t he cla ssical books an d his m e lting the
an ci e nt bronze ve sse l s to make statue s .

The r e ig ns o f W u Ti 14 0 8 6 B C and Of Yuan Ti 4 8 32 ,

—
. .
, ,
—

B C
. Of t he Han dynasty we re p e rio d s wh e n o ccultism was in
.
, ,

e sp e cial favour
, and also t he r e i g n O f Ming Ti 5 8 7 6 A D , O f
—
,
. .

t h e lat e r Han dyna sty durin g who se r e ig n and that O f H O Ti

, ,

8 9 1 0 5 A D th e mag i cian Chan g Tao lin g r e ce iv e d hi g h hon

—
. .
,
—

ours Anoth e r W u Ti 2 6 5 2 90 A D was al so an e min e nt p a

.
,
—
. .
,

tron O f th e se sci e nc e s H e was of t he W e st e rn Chin dynasty

. .

The tim e O f the W arrin g Stat e s 4 2 0 6 1 8 A D was e sp e cially ,

—
. .
,

favourabl e to t he spr e ad O f all form s o f e xp e rim e ntation in su

n atu r al a ffair s S O that wh e n T ai Tsun 6 6 cam e ’
p e 2 7 50 —
r g ,
A D , ,
. .

to th e thron e and su cce e de d in bring ing the whol e country u n

d e r the sway o f the T an g dynasty h e found the minds of th e
’
,

p e opl e accustom e d to and fill e d with b e li e f in magi cal and

:

occult e ve nt s It was durin g his re i g n and that Of his succe ssor

.

Kao T sun g 6 50 6 8 4 A D that th e se b e li e fs w e r e org anize d

,
—
. .
,

into the Taoi st r e li g ion as it has be e n known sin ce that tim e .

Kao T sun g was unde r t he influ e n ce O f a l e arn e d mag ic ian , Y e h

Fa shan This E mp e ror e nnobl e d Lao Tz ii and made his book
'
-
.

a cla ssic ( Kin g ) unde r the nam e Of Ta o Te h Kin g Anoth e r .

T ang e mp e ror H sil an Tsung 7 1 3 7 56 A D popularly known

’
, ,
—
. .
,
"
as Min g Huan g raise d the book L ie h Tz n to the rank Of a,
‘
cla ssic unde r the nam e O f Ch n n g H sii Chen King and Chuang ’
,

Tz il s book to the sam e rank with hig h e r g ra d e callin g it N an

’
,
‘
H n a S hen g King sh éng be in g o n e st e p hi g h e r than chen H e
‘ ‘
.
,

was a firm be li e ve r in the mag ical pow e rs O f Y e h Fa hsi who is —

,

said to have take n the E mp e ror with him on a j ourn e y to the

moon The most flouri shing p e riod o f occultism in the Sung
.
 O CCULTI S M 1 35

dynasty was during the re ig n of Hui Tsung 1 10 1 1 1 2 6 A D ,

—
. .
,

wh e n it absorbe d many Budd histic pra cti ce s an d in corporat e d

th e m into the bo d y O f Tao ist ce re monial s The short liv e d .
—

Yil an dynasty e xce l le d all oth e r p e riods howe ve r in patronag e , ,

o f o cculti sm and in int e n se b e li f in Taoi sm Durin g this p e

e .

rio d t he two g r e at Taoi st t e m pl e s Of P e k in g we r e built t he P O ,

Y ii n Kuan out si d e t he H si Pi e n Mén , and t h e Tung Y O Mia o

outside t he Ch ao Yang Mén Both o f th e se w e re unde r Im
’
.

p e rial patronag e .

Th e se o ccult practi ce s are at the pre se nt time an e sse ntial part

O f t h e li fe o f t he C hin e se p e opl e a n d it i s n e ce ssa r y to e xamin e
,

th e ir orig in and c ont e nt in de tail Th e y may b e roug hly clas .

sifie d un d e r the h e adin g s o f divination g e oman cy a stro lo g y , ,

an d al ch e my .

D iv m ati On i s pra cti se d in many ways, t he two mo st an ci e nt O f

whi ch ar e founde d ( 1 ) upon the lin e s ma d e by h e ating t he inn e r
c arapa ce O f the tortoi se and ( 2 ) upon th e arran g e m e nt O f stalks
,

O f th e plant mil foil o r r e e d g rass Divination by m e ans O f t he

—
.

t o r t o ise i s cr e d it e d to t h e Y e llow E mp e ror 2 6 00 B C , to t he

’

, . .

Em p e ror Yao 2 300 B C and to t he E mp e ror Y u 2 2 00 B C

.
,
. .
, ,
. .

Th e L i Ki g iv e s many in stan ce s o f it durin g th e Chow dynasty ,

1 1 2 2 1 2 55 B C
—
. It was by thi s m e tho d o f d ivination that the
.

will O f the Supre me R ul e r S hang Ti was asce rtain e d Accord

, ,
.

in g to Chapt e r XX I V O f t h e Ch o w L i t he tort o i se was first b e

sm e ar e d with t h e blood o f a sacrifi c ial victim whi ch was b e ing

o Ee re d to t h e d i scov e r e r o f this m e thod O f divination The .

inn e r carapa ce O f an y o ne o f t he six kinds O f tortoi se s was h e at e d

until fiv e cro ss lin e s app e are d Th e se r e fe rr e d to the fiv e e l e
.

m e nt s Ne ith e r t he upp e r nor lowe r portion O f the carapace

.

was take n into con si d e ration ; it was only th e ri g ht and l e ft se c

tion s whi ch we re int e rpre te d The marks o n th e se w e re call e d
.

t he four o m e ns ( 5 a c h a o ) Th e s e om e n s de te rmin e d de ci
.

sion s con ce rnin g e ig ht conting e n ci e s which we r e milita ry e x ,

p e d it io n s
,
h e av e nly app e aranc e s g rants tre ati e s r e sults arrival
, , , , ,
1 36 CHI NES E MYTH O L O GY
rain and p e stil e nce In divination by m il foil only the stalks o f
.

this plant w e re u se d and th e se we r e cu t into two size s full ,

l e ng th and hal f l e ng th Th e se we re thrown down and th e n

.

S pr e a d o u t into nin e
g roup s whi ch w e r e call e d by t he nam e s O f
,

th e nin e an ci e nt au g urs The nam e s and m e aning s O f th e

.

g roups corre spond e d to tho se of t he E i g ht Diag ram s an d th e ir ,

inte rpr e tation was g ive n accordin g ly Th e re is n o e x planation

.

O f t he c onn e ction b e tw e e n t he u se Of mil foil c ombination s and

t he E i g ht Diag ram s, t he fa ct o f th e ir b e ing us e d S i multan e

o u sl y is how e ve r undoubt e d
, ,
.

The E i g ht Diag ram s ( p a hn a ) re put e d to have be e n d is

c ov e r e d by t h e mythi cal E mp e ror F u H si ar e stat e d by t he
,

Ch o w L i to have b e e n u se d in d ivination and to have b e e n di

r e ctl y conn e ct e d with t he u se O f t he tortoi se and mil foil Th e y .

a r e e i g ht c ombinations o f lin e s O f full and hal f l e n g th The .

first h as thre e whol e lin e s o n e o ve r t he oth e r and is call e d

, ,

ch ie n i e
’
,
H e ave n o r the a ctive prin cipl e O f the unive rse
. . .

The la st c on si sts o f thr e e divide d lin e s and is call e d le nn,

’
,

E arth or th e pa ssiv e prin cipl e The s e cond r e fe rs to

bre ath t he third to fire the fourth t o thunde r t he fi fth to
, , ,

wind the sixth to wat e r and the se ve nth to mountains This is

,
.

the g e n e rally acc e pt e d e xplanation O f t h e curiou s nam e s g ive n

to th e se Diag rams Th e se nam e s have g ive n ris e to th e ori e s on

.

t he part O f se ve ral fore ig n writ e r s that th e y are o f for e i g n

o rig in but thi s is e ntir e ly improbabl e

,
The Diag rams fit in too
.

close ly with the oth e r fe ature s o f anci e nt Chin e se li fe to l e nd

any cre de nce to such th e ori e s The Book o f Chang e s ( I
.

Kin g ) says that t he g r e at primor d ial prin cipl e , o r Ap e x ( t ai

’

chi ) e volve d t he two prin cipl e s, l ian g i ; th e two principl e s p r o

d u ce d fo ur e x e mplars syn hsian g and from th e se cam e t he

, ,
”
E i g ht Diag rams ( p a hn a ) The two prin cipl e s r e fe rre d t o
.

are ( 1 ) a continuous strai g ht lin e call e d yang i and ( 2 ) ,

a brok e n lin e call e d yin i Yang is the active o r mal e

.

principl e Of nature and corre sponds to H e ave n and lig ht Yin .

 PL A T ES IV V ,

CO U R T OF T H E T U N G Y O T E M P L E , PE K IN G ,
SH OW I N G T H E T A B L E T W R ITT EN B Y C H AO
MEN G E U
-

C O U RT OF T H E T U N G Y O T E M P L E , S H OW I N G
R E V ER SE OF T H E T AB L E T W R ITT EN BY C H AO
MEN G -
EU

Se e pp . 2 3, 7 1, 1 35
.
1 38 CHI NE SE MYTH O L O GY
nal diag ram with it se l f and the se v e n oth e rs A six fold multi .

plication O f th e se g ive s thr e e hundre d an d e ig hty four d iag rams -

( hn a yao ) It is claim e d that a furth e r multiplication O f th e s e

.

lin e s bring s the numbe r up to sixt e e n million se ve n hun dr e d and

s e ve nty se ve n thousand two hundre d and sixte e n ( 1
-
16 )
,

forms whi ch would s e e min g ly b e suffi ci e nt t o include all p o s

,

sibl e chang e s in future e ve nts .

In Tso s Comm e ntary o n the Spring and Autumn Annals

’

( Ch n n Ch in ) many instance s ar e g ive n O f the u se o f the t o r

’ ’

tois e and mil foil in divination In the Chapt e r on t he Duke o f .

Min t he comm e ntator says that j ust be fore t he birth O f Ch én g

,
’

Chi the Duke Huan who was o n e o f t he Five Chi e ftains who
, ,

domin e e re d the country d uring the s e ve nth ce ntury B C , aske d . .

the fath e r O f Ch u ch iu mast e r O f divination s to consult t he

’ -
’
, ,

tortoi se sh e ll H e r e ce ive d an answe r that the child to be born

-
.

would be a bo y who would b e a g re at h e lp to the re ig ning

House H e th e n consult e d t he mil foil and was a ssur e d that
.

t he child woul d b e as disting ui sh e d as his fath e r Thi s answe r .

was pre dicat e d upon the conj unction o f two s e ts Of milfoil o n e ,

in the shap e o f the ta yn d iag ram and the oth e r in the

-

shap e Of the ch ie n diag ram ’

This is g ive n as an e xampl e
o f t h e m e thod o f divinatio n The comm e ntator m e ntions oth e r .

inci d e n ts wh e n th e r e we re consultations re g arding the marriag e

o f a dau g ht e r t he advisability Of j oinin g t h e se rvi ce O f a ce r
,

tain fe ud al lord military e xp e dition s and oth e r e ve nts

, , .

Sin ce t he tim e o f the T an g dyna sty the popular m e thods Of ’

divination have be e n by the u se o f bamboo slip s and

‘
by the d iss e ction o f ide o g raphs ( t s é i zii ) Accordin g to the ’
.

L in g Ch i e n S hn in divination by bamboo slips o n e hundre d

’
,

long thin slip s are pr e pare d o n o n e side Of which ar e writte n ,

cyclical chara ct e rs such as chia c hia chia i e tc The oth e r side , , .

is l e ft blank The m e anin g O f the slip which is drawn by the

.

e nquir e r is int e rpr e t e d by t he standar d e xplanation O f t he two

charact e rs writt e n th e re on Th e re are s e ve ral oth e r syste ms o f .

 O C CULTISM 1 39

using bamboo slips O n e O f th e se us e s forty nin e S lips , in an

“
-
.

oth e r po e tical stanzas ar e writte n on the S lips whi ch ar e th e n ,

call e d divinin g po e ms ( ch ie n chih ) In the u se o f the

” ’
.

bamboo slip s an amusing tal e in the li fe o f Ti Ch ing e l e ve nth ’

,

ce ntury A D . is told by Dor é H e was appoint e d by t he S un g

.
,
.

E mp e ror Jén Tsun g to suppre ssthe r e b e llion h e ade d by Nung

—

Chih kao i n the d istant Provin ce O f Ku an g si D e sirous O f e n

-
.

co u r ag in g h is soldi e rs to b e li e ve in t he ce rtainty O f victory he

or de re d a con sultation O f the bamboo slip s in the pre se n ce O f

his e ntire army Th e slip s whi ch w e re c hos e n w e r e all mo st
.

favourabl e a n d it was not di scov e r e d until lat e r that th e se S lips

,

w e re writt e n o n both side s .

The practi ce o f divination by t he di sse c tion O f charact e rs i e , . .

onomancy is said by the L an g Y a to have be g un with t he nam e

,

o f W u W an g founde r o f th e Chow dyna sty The rad i cal Of

’

.
,

thi s charact e r W u is chih whi ch m e ans to stop and t he pho , ,

”
n e tic is ho whi ch m e ans arms 5 the combination o f the two
,
”
disse ct e d parts m e ans to stop the u se O f arm s i e to brin g ,
. .

p e ace H is name was th e re fore proph e tic o f his g re at work in

.

bring ing p e a ce to the c ountry This m e thod was al so r e sort e d .

t o by Kun g su n S hu ( Ob 36 A D ) who was l e d by th e favour

—
. . .

abl e re sult Obtain e d to pro claim himse l f Emp e ror o f Shu the ,

mo d e rn Sze chuan This pra cti ce has be e n de fe n d e d and O b

.

se rv e d by l e a d ing m e n O f all succe e d ing g e n e ration s and is still

in vo g u e among the p e opl e .

Conne ct e d with divination is physiog nomy hsian g m ie n i e , ,

. .

re ading fortun e s by t he fe ature s O f the fa ce Thi s is a ve ry an .

cie nt pra ctice in China as is e vide nce d from the fact that it is
,

de nounce d by H slln Tzil in the third ce ntury B C The name . .

O f T an g Ch ii O f the fourth c e ntury B C i s pr e s e rv e d a s a not e d

’ '

. .

re ade r O f count e nance s D e tail s of t he app e aran ce of all t he

.

g r e at m e n O f antiquity a re g ive n in book s on this subj e ct Th e re .

is probably n o oth e r bran ch O f t he o ccult sci e nce s which has had

g r e at e r influ e nc e in d e t e rminin g e v e nt s O f national importan ce
14 o CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
than physiog nomy Confi de n ce in powe rs which a man is cre d
.

ite d with o n a ccount O f t he c ontour Of his face has o ft e n de t e r

min e d course s O f a ction B e li e f in this ar t and r e cour se to it are
.

c ommon amon
g all cla sse s o f p e opl e at the pre se nt tim e .

‘
Ge omancy o f which the popular nam e is féng shni and the
,

cla ssi cal nam e h an

yn was first e xplain e d in de tail by Ku o P O
’ ’
’
, ,

2 7 6 32 4 A D
—
who is said in his youth to have re ce ive d from
. .
,

Ku o Kun g a bla ck sa ck containin g writing s on o ccult subj e cts .

Ku o P O is the r e put e d author O f Tsan g S hn

’
Book Of Burial
Custom s In thi s work he says that in burial advantag e
S houl d b e tak e n O f t he spirit o f li fe or li fe bre ath ( sen g
,
“ ,
‘

c h i ) in whi ch c as e t h e winds wo uld b e sc att e r e d and t he wat e r

’
,
‘
o f t he lo cality stopp e d This att e ntion to the winds ( féng ) and
.

wat e r ( S hn i ) O f the pla ce O f burial is what has com e to be known

‘
as fén g shn i o r g e oman cy .

Th e r e is a d iEe r e n ce o f opinion among Chin e se write rs r e

g arding t he tim e wh e n this sci e n ce ori g inat e d but th e writin g s ,

O f Ku o P O S ho w that it was g e n e rally ac ce pt e d in hi s t i m e

’
.

Th e t e rm h an yii is found in the Chapte r on Arts in the Hi story

’

of the Han dyna sty but it is variou sly inte rpre t e d H sil Shén
,
.
,

author o f the S hn o W en who di e d 1 2 0 A D had alre a dy e x ‘

,
. .
,

plain e d th e se two ide o g raphs in t he se n se O f sup e rvision o f

h e ave nly and e arthly laws and thi s m e anin g is follow e d by ,

Y e n S hih k u in his annotat e d e dition o f t he Han Hi story thus

-

di sag re e ing with t he int e rpre tation Of Mén g K ang O f the thir d ’
,

c e ntury A D who is the standard comm e ntator o n thi s Hi story

. .
,
.

It is thus e vide nt that Ku o P o was writin g about a custom which ’

was we ll e stablish e d and g e n e rally r e co g nize d in his tim e

-
.

This Vi e w is confirm e d by a r e fe r e n ce in Chapt e r XV III O f the

Li Ki to t he whit e lin e n cloth e s whi ch should b e worn by an
e nquir e r, and t o t he skin cap worn by t he int e rpr e t e r wh e n t he

carapace o f the tortois e was e xamin e d t o de cide upon the place

O f burial O f a hi g h O f fi ce r o f stat e The d e v e lopm e nt Of the .

sci e n ce into t he d e t e rmination o f t he fortun e s o f r e lativ e s and

14 2 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
th e s e ve nth which is the inn e r o n e has e ig ht space s nam e d afte r
, ,

e i g ht o f t he twe lve cycli cal st e ms As the obj e ct Of e nquiry in

.

both th e se s e l e ction s r e lat e s to the E arth the nam e o f the e le ,

m e nt E arth is omitt e d from the fiv e e l e m e nts o n the l o p an as -

’

we ll as the four cycli cal ste ms which ar e conn e ct e d with the

n e g ative prin cipl e O f nature Yin Anoth e r e xplanation O f the
,
.

omission o f E arth is g ive n by the L n S hih which is that E arth ,

is the ce ntr e o f t he fiv e e l e m e nts and the oth e r e l e m e nts are

pla ce d around it at the four points Of the compass This would .

place E arth at the ce ntr e o f the n e e dl e o f the compass

W at e r
M e tal E arth W oo d
Fire
Th e L n S hih also e xplain s t he four h e ave nly app e arance s
( : a hsian g ) as r e late d to th e se four e l e m e nts
, .

Astrolo g y ( k n an hsian g ) is ba se d upon the Book O f

Chan g e s ( I Kin g ) It i s conce rn e d with t he mal e and fe male
.

prin cipl e s o f nature re pr e se nt e d r e sp e ctive ly by t he su n and

moon with whi ch ar e asso ciat e d the fiv e plan e t s Th e se plan e t s
,
.

are r e pr e s e ntativ e s o f t he fi v e e l e m e nt s Mars is fir e Ve nu s is

.
,

m e tal M e rcury is wate r Satu r n is e arth and Jupit e r is wood

‘

, .
,

Th e r e are twe nty e ig ht con st e llations or st e llar man sions to

-

whi ch su ch nam e s are g ive n as the horn the n e ck the bottom , , ,

th e room t he h e art t h e tail e tc , and th e se ar e r e lat e d to the

, , ,
.

s e ve n h e av e nly bod i e s ( su n moon and the fiv e plan e ts) in the

’

, ,

sam e orde r as in our nam e s o f the days O f the we e k Th e ir .

circl e s are subdivide d by combination s o f t he te n cycli cal ste ms ,

the tw e lve cy cli cal bran ch e s to g e th e r with the first two o f the
,

E i g ht Diag rams as has alre ady b e e n e xplain e d in t he d e scrip

,

tion O f the l o p an In such stan d ard works as S ho n S hih S hn

—
’
.

by Ku o Shou Ching O f the Yilan dyna sty de tail e d rul e s ar e

-

g iv e n fo r t h e u se o f th e s e Variou s si g n s but th e r e is a lack

,
of

uni formity in the rul e s g ive n by various oth e r authors The .

 O CCULTI S M 14 3
conj unction Of plan e ts de te rmin e s the fortun e o f ce rtain ye ars
and the fate o f the nation The lucky unlucky and unce rtain .
,

d ays o f t he ye ar we r e form e rl ypubli sh e d in t he Imp e rial

Cal e n d ar ( T n ng S hn o r H n ang L i ) an d we re d e cide d by th e
’
,

po sitio n O f the sun an d moon in the zodiac It is h e l d by some .

authors that the orig in O f astr olo g y i s not e arlie r that the third
o r fourth ce ntury A D and S hould b e place d during the time O f
. .
,

t he W arring Stat e s ( Chan Ku o ) wh e n t he country was ove r

whe lme d with the inte rn e cin e wars O f c ont e nding prin ce s and
e a ch was anxious to de t e rmin e b e for e hand t h e probability O f

succe ss in his unde rtaking s .

In de t e rmining th e astral influe nce s whi ch surrounde d the

birth o f an in d ividual th e r e is an e xamination o f t he e ig ht
,

chara c t e rs ( p a i n ? ) which re pre se nt in pairs the ye ar o f birth ,

t h e month t he day and t h e hour This m e thod is said in the

’

.
,

W en H ai P o S ha to have b e e n inve nte d by Li H su Chung o f the

‘
-

e i g hth ce ntury A D a not e d maste r o f astrolog y who e xamine d

. .
, ,
”
only six charact e rs tho se O f the ye ar month and day The
, ,
.

ho u r is s aid by this book to have b e e n a dd e d in t he Sung dy

nasty The Ol d e r T ang History Chin T ang S hih a scribe s t he
.
’
,
’

authorship O f t he syst e m to L il Ts ai who took as a basis fo r his ’

cal culations t he e ig ht c haract e rs o f t he Emp e ror W u Ti of

t h e Han dynasty A comparison of the e ig ht charact e rs Of

.

a young man with tho se Of the young woman whom it is p r o

po se d h e will marry is always made by t he middl e m e n who are
,

arrang ing the we dding E nquiri e s as to the g e ne ral g oo d luck

.
—

o f any individual o r a s to t he advi sability o f any propos e d

,

a ction ar e also a nswe re d by an analysi s Of th e se e ig ht char

,
”
a cte r s .

An Insp e ctor o f Astrolo gy was orig inally appoint e d unde r

t h e T an g d ynasty his nam e at that tim e b e in g s i T i e n T ai
-
’ ’ ’
.
,

During the Ming dynasty his nam e was chan g e d to Ch in T ie n ’ ’

Chie n and his duti e s we re divide d unde r four h e ads ( a ) as ,

‘
tr o n o m y ( t ie n wen ) , ( b ) e ve nt s ( li 5n ) ( c ) divination ( chan
’
,
 14 4 CHI NE SE MYTH O L O GY
ho n ) , ( d ) futurity ( t n i p n ) , and his o ffice was o n the e ast e rn
’ '

wall of the c ity o f P e ki ng at the place now kn own as the O b

se r v at o r y Kuan H siang T ai , wh e re t he larg e bronze in str u
’
,

m e nts are pla ce d This O bs e rvatory was divorce d from astrol

.

o gy by t he R e public in 1 1 2 and is now d e vot e d e ntir e ly t o

9 ,

mo d e rn a stronomy and m e t e orolog y .

Alch e my o r the pursuit O f the se cre t o f transmuting oth e r

,

m e tals into g old and the s e arch for t he e li x i r vi tae i s e xplain e d ,

first in t he Ts an T nn g Ch i
’ ’
Cove nant Of Unity
’
This
‘
book is sai d by K0 Hung in his S hen H sie n Chnan to have be e n
writt e n by W e i P O yang O f the s e cond ce ntury A D but this at
-
. .
,

tr ibu tio n has b e e n g e n e rally dis carde d by lat e r scholars It is .

,

how e ve r o f value in sho win g that al ch e my was practise d in t he

,

last ye ars O f t he Han dyna sty The author Of Ts an T n ng Ch i

.
’ ’ ’

”
bas e s his W ork upon a passag e in the Book of Chang e s ( I
Kin g ) whi ch r e fe rs to th e Yao H sian g i e t he Yao app e ar

“
, ,
. .

”
a n ce s o r t he Yao mani fe station s This passag e r e ads that
.

t he move m e nt o f th e Yao H siang is within , t he r e sults Of

”
prosp e rity and di saste r are without This phra se may b e com
.

pare d with the so l v e e 1: co ag n la Of E urop e an alch e mists The .

standard comme ntari e s int e rpre t this dark saying as a r e fe r e nc e

to Yin and Yan g t he passi ve and activ e prin cipl e s O f nature but
, ,

t he author o f Tr a n T i m g Ch i claim e d that it r e fe rr e d to t he

’ ’ ’

pos sibility o f t he transmutation O f m e tals The nam e o f the .

”
book ,
Cove nant O f Unity was sug g e ste d by its conte nts
, ,

whi ch are int e nd e d to prove the unity O f t he scie nce O f alch e my

”
with the t e achin g s o f the Book Of Chan g e s as w e ll as with ,

tho se O f the Ye llow E mp e ro r and Lao Tz il H nang L ao —

.

Thi s book was hi g hly comm e nde d by the two g re at classical

scholars O f t h e Sun dynasty Chu Hsi and T s ai Y il an ting
’
g
-

, ,

t h e form e r Of whom wrot e an e xposition O f its t e achin g s unde r

an assum e d nam e The two syste ms o f alch e my which are

.

known as la chia and i n ho are ba se d upon thi s book L a chia .

is the syst e m Of j oining the te n cycl ical branch e s with the E ig ht

14 6 CHI NE SE MYTH O L O GY
fice to the crucibl e and that if he did so the att e ndant d e itie s
, ,

would ca use it to transmute m e rcury into g old From this g old .

the E mp e ror could have cups fashion e d and such cups would ,

cause what he ate and drank to prolon g his lif e H e could th e n .

vi sit An ch i Sh én g in the Isl e s o f the Bl e st and hims e l f attain

’
-

to immortality Li assur e d the E mp e ror that he hims e lf had

.

visit e d An ch i Shén g in t he happy abod e and had se e n him e at

-
’

FI G .
56 . CO NT R OL OF TH E BR E AT H

ing dat e s which we re as larg e as m e lons Th e se re fe re nce s to .

Li Shao chil n and his mast e r An ch i S héng e vide nce a be li e f

- -
’

that t he u se o f the crucibl e was much e arlie r than the time o f

t he Ts a/ n T n n g Ch i and carry it back to t he r e i g n o f S hih
’ ’ ’
,

Huan g , 2 4 9 2 2 1 B C , if cre dibility may be attach e d t o th e se

— . .

l e g e nds o f the two m e n .

Close ly co nne cte d with the se arch for a panace a and for the
cordial o f immortality are many m e thods for promoting long
 O CCULTI S M 14 7
life . Amon g th e s e the most conspicuous are thre e : ( 1 ) control
o f the br e ath ( 2 ) control O f the e motions, and 3) abstin e nce
,

fro m food The c ontrol O f the br e ath hsing ch i o r fn ch i

’ ’
.

is a syst e m whi ch orig inat e d with t he above m e ntion e d KO

-

Hung The first st e p in this control is to tak e a de e p inhalation

.

o f br e ath an d hold it d u r in g O nE hundr e d and tw e nty b e at s o f

'

t he h e art b e for e e xhalation . The p e riod from midni g ht till

noon is full o f V itality and this control should b e practise d at
that tim e From noon till midnig ht is a li fe l e ss p e rio d and no
.

be n e fit is g ain e d by carrying o n t he e xe r ci se s If control O f t he

.

bre ath is attain e d by an individual it will cure many kinds Of

d i se as e and l e n g th e n li fe. W h e n full control is p e rfe cte d, a
c ondition o f r e pos e sup e rv e n e s and an individual r e ach e s t he

g oal o f a full u n d e r st an t in g o f t he prin cipl e o f lif e t a o

,
.The
control Of t he e motion s ch ing ching ’
with which was as
so ciat e d abstraction tin g icn an is con side re d fundam e ntal
to the l e ng th e ning o f life and many pre scriptions l e ading to
,

thi s e n d are de tail e d in Taoist books O f th e se non e is more

.

important than abstin e n ce from food p i hn e sp e cially from

’
,

all kinds o f m e at Ve g e tarianism was the first ste p toward

.

fasting .
 C H A P TER XI I

FO LK L O R E
-

HE occult scie n ce s as de scribe d in t he pr e ce ding Chapte r

ar e t h e di g nifi e d forms in whi ch t he b e li e f s tradition s
, ,

and customs Of t he c ommon p e op le have take n shap e at t he

hands of the authors whose g ood styl e has place d th e ir books
in the cat e g ory o f lit e rary writin g s In addition to suc h books
.

th e re has be e n, in e ve ry g e n e rat i on S i nce printing was inve nt e d

,

a larg e numb e r Of popular publications which contain oth e r

ve rsions o f tal e s and which add many acc ounts to o u n dig n ifie d
to be noti ce d by the standar d books The orig in Of many Of
.

th e se traditional b e li e fs an d customs is unkn own and unsoug ht ,

th e re has be e n littl e o r no t e nde n cy to study th e ir source s o r to
analyz e th e ir m e aning s Th e y are a cc e pt e d from g e n e ration
.

to g e n e ration by all cla ss e s as th e y are found, and without

doubt this pro ce ss has be e n g oing o n from the e arli e st days o f
t h e rac e thus mixing t he n e we r tal e s O f o n e g e n e ration with
,

tho se han d e d down from antiquity It is O fte n diffi cult to

.

de t e rmin e how mu ch O f any g ive n tradi t i on i s an ci e nt and how

much mode rn and p e rhap s thi s is o f littl e cons e qu e nce The
, .

'

main fact to be re cog nize d is that all tal e s which have survive d
can b e consid e r e d ri g htly as e xpr e s siv e to som e e xt e nt o f t he

spirit O f t he p e opl e.

Knowl e dg e Of the e xact mode rn sci e nce s has only e xt e nde d as

y e t to thos e who hav e b e e n e ducat e d abroad or in schools e stab

l ishe d durin g t he last two or thr e e g e n e rations . The larg e st

proportion O f the p e opl e still acce pt th e ir traditions without
any que stioning TO th e m H e av e n and E arth are full Of
.

myst e ry Th e re is littl e distinction be twe e n animate and inan i

.
1 50 CHI N E SE MYTH O L O GY
on th e wrapp e rs Of parce l s o n t he stomach or ch e st O f idol s
,

and on e av e s O f hous e s ; the chara ct e r fo r long e vity ( sho n ) is

also u se d in similar ways

His h m ark d w i th c ross an d

s o e s a re e sp e l l

Up on his b re ast a p e ntac le ”

.

Th e s e charms are n e e de d at all tim e s fo r it cannot b e known ,

wh e n o r wh e re e vil spirit s will app e ar It may b e t he g host .

Of som e on e who has be e n injure d by you o r m e r e ly som e ,

d e vil b e nt o n t he e x e cution o f his o wn c apri ce It may b e a .

hung ry g host wan d e ring throug h space in se arch Of som e c o m

p e n satio n fo r its pr e viou s mi se rabl e e xi st e nc e on e arth o r a ,

rig i d corpse ( chian g S hih ) , which at ni g ht fall o r o n

“
-

moonlig ht ni g hts com e s from its co ffi n and waylays trave lle rs .

”
It may b e th e woodm e n ( Shan Hsiao ) m e ntion e d in the
S outh e rn T an g Histo ry whi ch have t he bodi e s o f m e n and
’
,

fe e t lik e t he claws O f a bird and whi ch live in the tr e e s It .

may b e the d e mon O f fi re o r p e stil e n ce dise ase o r de ath ; but ,

what e ve r its de si g ns may b e it can b e pr e ve nt e d from carrying

th e m o u t by the poss e ssion O f true virtu e o r sup e rior in te lli
g e nc e. As a matt e r O f f act V irtu e and
,
int e lli g e n ce ar e int e r
‘
c han g e abl e id e as wh e n o n e i s d e alin g with de vils .

A curious tal e was told ye ars ag o by Mr C T Gardin e r o f . . .

t h e Briti sh Consular S e rvic e Th e re we r e two partn e rs,

.

name d Chang and Li re turning on o n e o cca sion by way o f the

,

c anal from Yan g chow wh e r e th e y had b e e n c oll e ctin g d e bts

,
.

Chang saw Li standin g o n t he e dg e o f the boat and t he crim e ,

O f pushin g him into t he wat e r and thu s b e c omin g sol e pos se ssor
,

o f t he mon e y sug g e st e d its e l f

,
Chan g th e r e fore pu sh e d Li
.
, ,

into th e canal Ne xt y e ar at t he tim e t he murde r was co m

.
,

m itte d Chan g fe ll v e ry ill and t h e g host O f Li app e are d to

, ,

him in a thr e at e ning form and told him that unl e ss he paid
,

ove r t he su m prop e rly b e lon g in g to the d e ad man s family he ’

,

would d ie Chang promise d to do so , an d g o t we ll but his

.
,
 F OLK L O R E
—
15 1

h e alth be ing r e store d he broke his promise and still k e pt the ,

mone y Ag ain, t he following ye ar at the sam e tim e Li s

.
, ,
’

g host app e ar e d, looking still ang ri e r Ag ain Chan g was in .

d u ce d to make the promi se , and thi s tim e h e ke pt it How .

e v e r, his h e alth s e e m e d p e rm a ne ntly to su Ee r, e ve rythin g

we nt wrong , busin ess fe ll 0E and he de te rmin e d to tr y and ,

c hang e h is lu ck by mig ratin

g to oth e r parts ; he c onse qu e ntly
we nt to Honan W hat was his a stonishm e nt wh e n h e a g ai n
.

saw Li not now in the middl e O f t he nig ht by the side O f the

,

b e d wh e r e h e lay si ck but in broad daylig ht , and in t he stre e t

,
.

H is t e rror was e xtr e m e he rush e d forward and made a ho t o w

, ,
-

and said : I have alre ady done as you orde re d m e W hy do you ,

still haunt m e ? To whi ch Li r e pli e d : I am no g ho st ; what

do you m e an ? Th e n Chang tol d him h o w he had twi ce
app e are d Etfid how his shar e Of t he mon e y had be e n pai d to his
,

family Li th e n said : S O, it was not an a ccid e nt my falling

.

into the rive r ? I had n e g l e ct e d to pay d u e re sp e ct to t he spiri t

o f m y fath e r and wh e n I tumbl e d in t h e rive r an d was n e arly
, ,

drowne d I thought it a punishm e nt for my impi e ty

,
.
’

D e t e rmin e d action o n t he part O f a strong will e d individual -

is O ft e n suffi c i e nt without outside aid t O aEe ct t he pow e r Of

, , _

de vil s A story is told O f a hou se at Hang chow whi ch was sup

.

pose d to b e haunt e d NO o n e d ar e d to live in it and it was

.

always lo cke d A s cholar nam e d Ts ai boug ht th e hou se

.
’

p e opl e all told him he was doin g a dang e rou s thin g but he did ,

no t h e e d th e m Afte r the de e d O f sal e had be e n d rawn o u t

.
,

non e o f his family would e nt e r t he hous e Ts ai th e re fore .

’

we nt by himse l f and h aving op e n e d the doors , lit a candl e and

,

sat down . In t he mid dl e O f t he nig ht a woman slowly ap

p r o ache d with a r e d si l k handk e rchi e f han g in g to he r n e ck and ,

having salut e d him fast e n e d a rop e to th e b ea m O f the ce iling

, ,

and put he r n e ck in t he noo se Ts ai did not in the l e ast chang e

.
’

count e nance The wo man ag ain fast e n e d a rop e and call e d

.

o n Ts ai to do as S h e had don e , but he only li ft e d his l e g and

’
1 52 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
put his foot in the noose The woman said You ’re wrong ’
.
, .

Ts ai laugh e d and said O n the c ontrary, it was yo u who w e re

’
, ,

wrong a long tim e ag o o r e ls e yo u wo uld not have com e to this

,

pass The g host cri e d bitt e rly, and having ag ain bowe d to
.
’
,
’
Ts a i , de part e d and from this time the hous e was n o long e r
,
”
haunt d Ts ai afte rwar ds d isting ui sh e d hims e lf as a scholar
e .
’
.

FI G .
57 . CH U NG K U EI
’

Usually howe ve r, out side h e lp is invoke d Chung K ue i

,
.
’

with his awful fac e is r e ady with his h e lp fo r those who se e k

it It is said that h e was a scholar in t he Sung dynasty who was
.

fri g htfully disfi g ur e d by an e vil spirit o n the nig ht pre vious to

taking his e xamination for t he hig h e st lit e rary de g re e As a .

r e sult o f t he d re adful condition o f his face he was not abl e

to take his e xa mination an d th e re fore he swore ve ng e ance
,

ag ainst th e se de mons B e ing a man of e xtraordinary in te lli

.
 CHI N E SE MYTH O L O GY
'

1 54

p e ro r K ang H si
’
to sacrifi ces at all the five g re at moun
O Ee r
tains and whil e o n his j ourn e ys al so to charm away t he g ho st
,

O f th e whit e sh e e p at Huang chow and the r e d monke y

-

on the Tun g t ing Mountain O f the T ai H u n e ar W usih in

-
’ ’
,

Kian g su Provin ce W itch e s ar e call e d in by wo m e n to chant

.

incantations a g ain st e vil influe n ce s and the aid Of powe r ful

,

ance stral spirits is invoke d

by the u se o f me di cine s .

Th e e ntire rang e Of human

inve ntiv e n e ss has be e n can
vasse d to di sc ov e r propitiou s

m e an s for ave rting m isfo r

tun e s .

Th e port e ntous influ e n ce

Of dre ams is cl e arly r e cog
n iz e d as dr e ams a r e ,

suppo se d to b e d u e to t he
in spiration O f spirits A re .

clus e O f T ai Shan dre am e d ’

that the g odde ss O f the

mountain Niang Niang in , ,

struct e d him to proce e d to

Pe kin g to cure the illn e ss Of
the E mp e ror Ch én T sun g ,
I 0 2 2 A D " 0f t l e S un
i
—
9 9 7
'

FIG 59 TH E G O DD E SS OF T AI SH AN
’
-
g '

. . ,

N NG N NG
IA IA dynasty O n arri val he .

found that the E mp e ror was

in g re at pain cause d by a larg e boil H e pr e scribe d tre atm e nt
.

and r e li e v e d the E mp e ror o f his troubl e The moth e r O f Chang .

Tao ling is said to have dre am e d that the spirit of the Pol e
—

Star de sc e nde d and g av e he r a frag rant h e rb which sce nt e d he r

cloth e s with its p e r fum e O n awaking S he found h e rs e l f with
.

child and in d u e c ours e g ave birth to a son who b e cam e the

g r e at mysti c . A man in S hang hai dr ea me d that he was in a

 PLA TE VI

C H A N G TA O -
L IN, TA O IST PATR I AR C H

Se e pp . 13 E .
 F OLK L O R E —
1 55

place at the re ar o f a ce rtain t e mple wh e re he sudde nl y cam e

upon a hidde n tre asure Of g old AS soon as he awok e he we nt ,

to the place d u g a ho l e and d iscove re d a larg e quantity O f g old

, ,

e ach pi e ce o f whi ch was marke d with h is o wn nam e An o ld .

man and woman are said to have app e ar e d in a dre am to the

Prin ce O f Y e n who b e cam e the Emp e ror Yung L O 14 03 14 2 5 ,
—

A D
. o f t he Min g dynasty
.
,
H e had j u st compl e t e d th e buildin g
.

O f t h e pr e se nt city O f P e kin g with its nin e g at e s and mag nific e nt

palace s The p e opl e w e re loud in th e ir praise Of t he be auty

.

an d str e n g th O f t h e Ci ty, and looke d forward to a pe rio d O f

g r e at pro sp e ri ty and p e a ce Un fortunat e

. ly it was not lon g
b e fore a s e ve re droug ht e n su e d and t he w e ll s we re al l dri e d
up The cause O f t he droug ht was re port e d by this Ol d man
.

a n d woman to hav e b e e n th e di sturban ce o f t he abo d e O f t wo

wate r drag on s at L e i Chén K o u a villag e to t he e ast O f P e king

-
’
,

out si d e the Tung Pi e n Mén The d rag ons de cide d to g ath e r

.

up all the wat e r o f th e distri ct in two larg e baske ts and ret ire .

B e fore doing so th e y wi sh e d t o Obtain t he con se nt Of t he Prin ce ,

and fo r thi s p u rp ose assum e d the g uise O f t he Old man and

woman in the dre am The Prin ce con se nte d but o n awaking
.
,

in the morning an d re alizing what he had d one he c on clude d ,

that this Old man and woman we re none oth e r than t he d ra g ons .

H e put o n his armour mount e d a black hors e and with sp e ar

, ,

in han d hurrie d o u t o f the palace and throug h t he city g ate in

,

pursuit H e ove rtook th e m , plung e d his sp e ar into th e ir

.

baske ts and o u t cam e a pl e nti ful supply O f wat e r

,
.

Crue lty whi ch se e m s inh e re nt in human nature has take n

, ,

many forms in China most o f which are a sso ciat e d with sup e r
,

natural e ve nts The practice O f burying se rvants and work me n

.

in the tombs o f e arly E mp e rors se e ms to b e we ll auth e nti cat e d —

.

Cannibali sm has b e e n practise d in all the g re at famine s whi ch

have so O fte n happ e n e d The black art ( tso ta o ) has b e e n r e
.

sp on sibl e fo r many e vil pra cti ce s an d laws d ire cte d ag ainst it ,

we re ve ry stri ct in the lat e M an chu d ynasty Am ong the te n .

1 56 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
inhuman cr im e s ( p n t ao ) m e ntion e d in the fourth volum e o f
t he L e g al Code O f thi s dyn asty, t he fi fth crim e in clu d e s t he

mutilation Of t he livin g body to obtain ce rtain org an s fo r u se

in witchcra ft t he manu fa ctur e O f the ien poi son o r witch s
, ,
’

potion and the e mploym e nt O f in cantations or charms to inflict

,

the curs e o f the N ig htmar e de mon ( Y e n Me i) A case O f

.

mutilation O f the bo d ie s O f young g irl s in ord e r to se cur e th e ir

vital pow e rs was puni sh e d in 1 8 10 The Comm e ntary o n the
.

Code also stat e s that tho se who practi se wit chcra ft a fte r inv o k
in g t he N ig htmare de mon take t h e e ye s and e ar s O f human
,

be ing s cut O E th e ir han d s an d fe e t and fast e n th e se m e mbe rs

,

upon a carve d o r moulde d imag e whi ch th e y e mploy for th e ir

o wn diaboli cal purpo se s The blood O f criminal s who hav e
.

be e n b e h e ade d is g ath e re d o n pi e ce s o f cloth o r absorb e d o n bits

o f food whi c h ar e th e n us e d as c harm s a g ain st e vil influ e nce s .

The custom Of drinkin g a cup O f the blood o f a notoriou s e n e my

who has be e n slain in battl e or e xe cut e d a ft e r capture was ,

p e rform e d by a we ll known Vi ce roy in 1 904 Thi s potion

-
.

was suppo se d to add courag e to the o n e who drank it The .

Code also m e ntions an abominabl e kind o f crue lty which con

siste d in kidnapp i ng youn g p e rson s in orde r to roast th e ir org ans
and bon e s fo r t he purpos e o f manufacturing me di cin e Al l .

forms o f wit ch cra ft and sor ce ry whi ch l e d to the maiming o r

killing o f p e rsons we re p u nishabl e unde r t he Co de with t he
,

se ve r e st p e nalti e s viz , d e ath by t he sli cin g pro ce ss confiscation

,
.
,

O f prop e rty and bani shm e nt for life Of wif e and son s Such
.

pra ctic e s we re conside r e d an ill e g itimat e u se Of sup e rnatural

pow e rs .

O f all the animals whi ch can influe nce human e ve nts, the
fo x e nt e r s chi e fly into popular tal e s As an illustration o f this
.
,

t he followin g is a summary o f t he tal e O f two sist e rs take n ,

”
from t he S trang e S tori e s O f the Liao Studio ( Liao Chai ,

C h ih I ) .Th e re was on ce a young st ude nt nam e d Shang a ,

native Of T ai Shan O n e e ve ning as he was wande ring alon e

’
.
1 58 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
mutte re d V arious charm s and sudde nly four sl e nde r thr e ads
,

o f smoke w e r e s e e n to pa ss into t he bott l e s H e at on ce se al e d .

up the bottl e s de clar e d with j oy that this whol e family was

,

now sa fe and sat down to fe ast with Shan g s pare nts Shang
,
’
.

him se l f coul d not fe a st whil e his fri e nds w e r e su ffe ring th e ir

sad fat e s and h e wand e r e d ove r to t he bottl e s
,
B e nding ove r .

th e m he h e ard the Voice O f Ssil Me i b e g g ing him to re l e a se

he r. She g ave Shan g dir e ctions how to pro ce e d and soon o n e ,

littl e thre ad o f smoke d isapp e aring into t he clou d s was his last
V i e w o f t h e charmin g youn g S sil Me i Te n y e ars lat e r she ap .

p e are d t o him o n e d ay and told him that she had attain e d im

mortality H e be gg e d he r to stay with him but as an Immortal

.
,

she c ould no lon g e r ming l e wi th mortal a Eair s Only once .

ag ain d id he se e he r t we nty ye ars lat e r wh e n sh e app e are d in

, ,

his room be auti ful as e ve r to t e ll him that she had com e to

, ,

announce to him t he approachin g d ay o f his de ath so that he ,

mig ht put his a ffairs in orde r and that he n e e d fe ar nothin g

, ,

fo r sh e would se e him sa fe ly into the oth e r world And o n .

t he day appoint e d S hang di e d ,

.

E vil spirits al so as sum e t he form o f snak e s and conv e r se ly

'

snake s pre se nt t he m se l v e s as ordinary mortal s O n e O f t he .

most famous storie s O f snak e s is that O f the W hit e S e rp e nt

o f Han g chow whi ch cam e from the Gre e n Mountain n e ar
,

Ch éng tu in S ze chuan Provin ce wh e r e it had live d from an

’ -

ci e nt tim e s an d was accu stom e d to take t he form O f a woman

,

a ccompani e d by a maid se rvant The V i ctory O f this W hite

-
.

S e rp e nt ove r a Black S e rp e nt whi ch had live d in Hang chow

be fore the combat is told in the nove l call e d Thunde r P e ak
,

Pa g oda and is as follows : Hang chow is a mo st be au ti ful ~

place The r e side n ce s O f princ e s and nobl e s ar e h e re and

. ,

b e autiful fl o we r g arde ns and an ci e nt t e mpl e s are scatt e re d

-

all ove r the place Among th e se t he g arde n o f Prin ce Chow

.
,

was p re e min e nt fo r be auty ; but Prin ce Chow had lon g b e e n

—

de ad and his be auti ful g arde n was de se rte d by mankind

,
.
 F O LK L O R E —
1 59

In it we re altars pavilions and fount ain s almost e qualling in

, ,

spl e ndour t h e g arde ns O f the Imp e rial palace He re th e re .

re sid e d a hug e bla ck se rp e n t Which had be e n in this pla ce fo r

,

mor e than e ig ht hund re d ye ars Thi s se rp e nt could asce nd

.

into the clouds an d take the h u man form ; and wh e n she saw
,

t he whit e se rp e nt comin g in Sh e hurri e d to pr e ve nt h e r e n

,
‘
tran ce saying : W h e n ce com e st thou thus to invade the pri
,

vacy O f my g arde n ? Do st thou not fe ar my wrath ? The

whit e se rp e nt who had assum e d human form , as had the oth e r,
,

m e re ly smil e d and sai d : Don t talk about your pow e r but

’
,

pay att e ntion to what I am g oing t o say I am a powe r ful .

white s e rp e nt c om e from the mountain c ave rn O f the winds

,
—
,

wh e re I have re side d mor e than e ig ht hundre d ye ars ; but b e

cau se I am not so powe r ful as I could wi sh I have de t e rmin e d ,

t o chang e my abode wh e r e for e yo u mu st l e t m e take up my

,

re side n ce in thi s g arde n B e side s this why should we quarr e l

.
, ,

be in g b o t h spirit s in the form o f se rp e nt s? But t he bla ck

snak e was not so e a sily pacifi e d and an g rily e xclaim e d :
,
This
is m y g ard e n and you are a spirit from som e di stant pla ce
,
.

How th e n do you dar e thus to de prive m e O f min e o wn ? If ,

mor e ove r yo u think yourse l f more powe r ful than I am l e t us

, ,

cont e nd tog e th e r thr e e tim e s fo r t he m ast e ry ’

Th e white .

se rp e nt smil e d sli g htly and said :

,
It is no de sire Of mine that
we shoul d cont e n d to g e th e r as I do not wi sh to inj ure o n e O f
,

my sp e cie s; but since yo u S O much wish it I will cont e nd with ,

y o u
, but upon this con d ition only that who e ve r shall
,
b e V i ct o r i
o u s in t he stri fe shall b e com e t he mi str e ss and that t he con
, ,

qu e r e d o n e shall always act as a slave The black snake still .

’
,

ang ry snatch e d a sword and cut at the whit e s e rp e nt but she

, , ,

drawin g t wo swords put th e m be fore h e r in the form O f a

,

cro ss In a fe w minut e s the sup e rior tal e nt Of the whit e s e rp e nt

.

be came e vi d e nt fo r by mutt e ring a powe r ful sp e ll the sword

, ,

was snatch e d from t he hand o f he r adve rsar y by som e invi sibl e

me an s and she was l e ft de fe nce l e ss The black s e rp e nt at this
, .
1 60 CHI N E SE MYTH O L O GY
was ve ry much frig hte n e d and kne e ling down , re sp e ctfully
,

addr e ss e d the oth e r saying : D O not cont e nd any long e r I

, .

ack nowl e dg e you as my sup e rior, and am willing to se rve yo u as

your slave .
’
Matte rs be ing thus se ttle d so satisfactorily, the
”
mistre ss and s e rvant e nt e re d the g arde n tog e th e r
.

Th e se are but a fe w e xampl e s o f folk lor e and are e ntire ly

-

insuffi ci e nt to g ive the r e ade r an ade quate ide a o f the numbe r

and vari e ty o f popular tal e s This can be Obtain e d by re fe re nce
.

to such books as Gil e s S tr ang e S t o rie s fr o m a Chin e se S tndi o ,

’

MacGo wan s Chin e se F o lk L o re Tale s and oth e r books The

’ —
,
.

e xampl e s h e r e gi ve n ar e int e nde d only to illustrat e th e wid e

scop e Of the traditional be lie fs and customs o f the Chine s e

p e opl e
.
16 2 CHI N E SE MYTH O L O GY
as a child g ath e ring fire wood wh e n his moth e r bit he r fing e r .

H e al so f e lt the pain at on ce and haste n e d to he r aid W hil e .

w e e din g in a g ard e n he car e l e ssly cut t he root O f a m e lon ,

wh e re upon his fath e r be at him m e rcil e ssly W h e n he re lat e d .

t h e incid e nt to Con fu ciu s Con fu cius blam e d him fo r not hav

,

in g g o t o u t O f his fath e r s way l e st he should have inadve rt e ntly

’

be e n so u n filial as to have b e e n t he cause Of his fath e r put

ting him to de ath E ve n a fte r such tr e atm e n t by his fath e r
.
,

he was so full O f a ffe ction that he would n e v e r e at date s b e

cause his fath e r had b e e n fon d O f th e m H e o nly pre pare d .

food onc e in thr e e d ays an d chang e d his cloth e s once in t e n

ye ars .

( 4 ) Min Su n sixth ce ntury B C , was al so a pupil O f Con

, . .

fu ciu s H e was t r e at e d badly by his st e p moth e r who favour e d

.
—

h e r own two son s H e was so spars e ly clad that his han d s be

.

cam e numb and he dropp e d th e r e in s wh e n driving a cart At .

last the harsh tr e atm e nt O f his so n e nra g e d the fath e r and he

de cide d to divorc e t he woman but Min Su n pl e ade d fo r he r
, ,

saying that it was b e tt e r that o n e child should b e cold than

thr e e l e ft moth e rl e s s .

5 Chung Y u 54 3 4 8 0 B C anoth e r di scipl e of Confu cius

—
,
.
, ,
.

is mor e fr e qu e ntly sp o k e fi o f as Tz il lu W h e n he had be e n -

.

promot e d to hig h honours he g ri e ve d fo r his de ce ase d pare nt s

and lon g e d fo r his chil d hood days wh e n he carri e d rice fo r more
than a hundre d li in h e lpin g to support his pare nts .

6 Tun g Yung se con d ce ntury A D had no mon e y to pay

,
. .
,

the fun e ral e xp e ns e s O f his fath e r and sold him se l f into se rvi
tude in orde r to rais e the n e ce ssary amount W h e n he re .

turn e d hom e he m e t a youn g woman who o ffe re d to marry him

and to r e l e ase him from bondag e The cre ditor d e mande d .

thre e hundr e d pi e ce s O f silk which the pro sp e ctive bride g ladly

,

se t h e rs e lf to w e ave S he finish e d the work in a month and

.

th e n in form e d Tun g Yung that she Was The W e aving Dam

Chih N had b e n s e nt by God to r e ward him fo r
se l ( w h o e
 E XE MPLAR Y TAL E S 16 3

his de votion to his fath e r The name of Tung s birthplace was.

’

chang e d to H siao Kan which is a station o n the P e ki ng Hankow -

R ailway j ust north O f Hanko w

,

.
,

(7 ) Y e n T z il is said t o hav e liv e d in t h e Chow dynasty .

H is par e nts having e xpr e sse d a d e sire fo r do e s milk he dr e sse d ’

,

himse l f in de e r s skins mingle d With a h e rd O f de e r and thus

’
, ,

Obtain e d the milk .

( 8 ) Chian g K O who liv e d about 5 00 A D durin g t h e trou . .

,

blous tim e s o f the Six King d oms re scu e d his moth e r from ,

robbe rs by carrying he r a long d i stan ce o n his back .

( 9) Lu H sil O f the first ce ntury A D was imprison e d fo r

,
. .
,

compli c ity in a tre asonabl e plot H is moth e r w e nt to t he prison

.

carrying foo d whi ch th e j ail e r de live re d to him At t he sig ht .

O f it he kn e w t hat it h a d b e e n pr e par e d by h is moth e r .

( 10) T ang Fu j On o r as she is fre que ntly call e d Ts ui Shih ,

’ ’
, ,

is the only woman m e ntion e d fo r he r de votion to he r family .

H e r moth e r in law had lost he r t e e th o n a ccount o f ag e and

- -

T ang Fu j én nouri sh e d he r with milk from he r own bre ast

’ -
.

( 1 W -

u M
'

é n g fi fth c e ntu,
r y A D would not driv e t h e . .
,

mosquito e s away from himse lf l e st th e r e should b e more of

th e m to annoy his pare nt s .

( 1 2 ) W an g H siang 1 8 5 2 6 9 A D was a native o f S han

,
—
. .
,

tung In or d e r to g rati fy the de sire O f his st e p moth e r fo r fish

.
—

during winte r he lay down nake d o n t h e ice o f a pond till a

,

hol e was thawe d from whi ch j ump e d two fish which he carri e d
hom e to he r .

( 1 3) Ku o Chu se cond ce ntury A D was ve ry poor and th e re

,
. .
,

was n o t e noug h foo d fo r his moth e r his wi fe himse l f and , ,

the ir young son H e propo se d to his wi fe to kill th e ir son S O

.

that th e r e mi g ht be e noug h food fo r his moth e r saying that ,

th e y mig ht hav e anoth e r so n but th e y could n e ve r have anothe r

moth e r The par e nts ag re e d t o bury t he child alive but wh e n
.
,

th e y d u g t he hol e in the g round th e y found th e r e a bar O f g old

o n whi ch was in scrib e d a l e e nd statin
g g that it was a g i ft Of the
16 4 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
g ods . This pre ve nt e d t he n e ce s sity Of sacrificing th e ir o wn
child .

( 14 ) Yan g Hsiang o f the Han dyna sty was only fourt e e n ,

ye ar s o f ag e wh e n his fath e r was attacke d by a tig e r H e thre w .

hims e l f b e twe e n his fath e r an d the tig e r, thus s aving his fa

t he r s li fe at th e e xp e n se o f his o wn
’
.

( 1 5) Chu Show ch ang , 1031 1 102 A D , was the son Of a

’ —
-
. .

concubin e and was take n away from his moth e r to live with
his fath e r in Pe king W h e n he g re w up to manhood his mothe r
.

had di sapp e are d and h e tri e d e ve ry possibl e m e thod Of finding

,

he r e v e n re sortin g to t he s e lf casti g ation Of t he Buddhist

,
—

pri e sts such as caut e rizing his back and h e ad with live in ce nse
,

sti cks H e se arch e d fo r fifty ye ars and finally found his

.

moth e r .

( 1 6 ) Y u Ch ie n l o u , sixth ce ntury A D re sig ne d his o ffi

’ ~
.
,
.

cial appointm e nt aft e r t e n days in ord e r that he mi g ht r e turn

hom e t o care for his S i ck fath e r .

( 1 7 ) Lao Lai tzii is a l e g e ndary charact e r who is said to

’
—

have live d during t he Chow dynasty H is pare nts live d to a .

g r e at ag e and wh e n h e him se l f was se ve nty he dr e sse d in fan

,

t astic cloth e s and p e r form e d anti cs b e for e his par e nts fo r th e ir

amuse m e nt .

( ) Ts ai hun first c ntury nouri h d his moth er

’
1 8 S e A D , ,
s e . .

with rip e b e rri e s whil e he himse l f ate only g re e n one s Afte r .

’
t he de ath O f his moth e r a fir e thr e at e n e d th e ir hous e Ts ai .

Shun thr e w hims e l f upon his moth e r s coffi n and praye d that it ’

mi g ht b e spare d from de struction His praye r was answ e re d . .

The surroundin g house s we r e all burn e d but his house e scap e d

unharme d During he r li fe tim e his moth e r had b ee n a fraid
.

o f thunde r and a fte r he r de ath wh e n e ve r a thunde r storm

, ,

arose , Ts ai Shun we nt to he r g rave to urg e he r not t o b e

’

alarm e d .

( 9)
1 Huan g H 31an g lost h is moth e r wh e n he was only s e ve n

ye ars o f ag e an d g ri e ve d so much ove r he r de ath that he be

16 6 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
o ne o f t he
Four Gre at S cholars o f the Sung dynasty but e v e n ,

this hig h d istinction is e clipse d by his r e putation fo r filial pi e ty .

H e wat ch e d his sick moth e r for a whol e y e ar without l e avin g

he r b e dsi d e o r e ve n taking O E his cloth e s At he r de ath he
.

g ri e ve d so bitt e rly that h e almost lost his o wn li fe .

In the Tn ng Ch o w L ie h Kn o Chih R e cords O f t he E ast

e r n Chow whi ch is a nove l de scribin g e ve nts in the Chow
dynasty aft e r 7 8 1 B C , a tal e is told Of t he favourit e co n cu
. .

bin e o f the E mp e ror Y u W ang 7 8 1 7 7 0 B C She was call e d

,
—
. .

Pao S sii W h e n she was a g irl O f fo u rte e n she was se e n by

’
~
.

Hun g téh, whos e fath e r had be e n e xil e d by the E mp e ror

-
.

Hun g téh con ce ive d t he plan O f pre s e n ting this be auti ful
-

woman to the E mp e ror as a concubin e , hoping th e re by to se cur e

th e favour o f t he E mp e ror and to Obtain t h e r e l e as e o f his
-

fath e r Th e plan was favour e d by t he Duke Of Ku o and the

.
,

g irl was a d mitt e d to the Imp e r i al har e m She soon b e c am e a

.

g r e at favourit e o f th e E mp e ror and pr e s e nt e d him with a son .

Th e E mpr e ss b e cam e v e ry j e alous O f thi s con cubin e and plott e d

with he r son who was the H e ir Appare nt for the down fall Of
, ,

Pao Ssil At the tim e o f an Imp e rial audi e n ce wh e n the E m

'

.
,

e r o r was r e c e ivin g his minist e rs P aO S sil ve nturin g into t he

p , ,

g ard e n in front O f t he pal ac

,
e was se t upon by t h e att e ndants
O f t he H e ir Appar e nt and maul e d m e rcil e ssly A S soon as t he
.

E mp e ror h e ard Of it he banish e d the H e ir Appare nt divorce d ,

t he E mpr e ss and pr o claim e d t he son o f Pao S sil as his succ e ssor .

The E mp e ror did e ve ryt hin g in his p owe r to satis fy t he whims

o f this favourit e woman , g oin g so far e ve n as to kindl e for he r

amus e m e nt th e be acon fire s o n the hills which summone d his

baronial chi e fs to the re scu e o f his capital The di smay Of .

th e se chi e fs, who had b e e n fool e d by the unn e ce ssary call t o

arm s cause d g re at amuse m e nt to Pao Ssil but the incide nt
, ,

prove d fatal to the E mp e ror wh e n at a lat e r p e riod his capital

was attacke d The b e a con lig hts w e r e ag ain ki ndl e d but this
.
,

tim e without e Ee ct in summoning n e ce ssary r e li e f The bar .

 E X E MPLAR Y TAL E S 16 7

barians atta cke d the c apital and the Em p e ror with his favourit e
was lain
S .

Thi s was in fulfilme nt o f a proph e cy whi ch had be e n made

by an astrol o g e r during the r e i g n o f H silan W ang fath e r Of ,

Y u W an g During the thirty ninth ye ar O f H sil an W ang

.
-

7 66 B C the E mp e ror l e ft his capital and w e nt o n an e xp e di

. .
,

tion ag ainst the W e st e rn barbarian s W hil e he was at T ai .

’

yilan he de cide d to tak e a ce nsus o f the city in o rde r to conscript

as larg e a military force as po ssibl e Aft e r doing so h e re turn e d .

t o his capital but o n arrivin g at the suburb s was m e t by a

,

crowd o f childre n who we re S ing ing a song that had b e e n taug ht

th e m a fe w days e arlie r by a youth we aring a re d coat The .

words of t he song we re
T he
’

su n i
is se tt ng , t he m o on is ri s ng , i
The C ho w dyna sty w ll b e ru ne d i i
b
By o ws o f the w ld m u l e rry a n d qu i b iv rs
e of rattan .

Th e E mp e ror was g re atly distr e sse d by this song and orde re d

t he arre st O f t he young man who had tau g ht it to t h e childr e n
. .

At a m e e ting o f the Minist e rs of stat e o n the following day ,

t he E mp e ror inquir e d o f th e m t he m e anin g o f t h e song PO .

yan g Fu who was Dire ctor O f t he Astronomical Boar d r e pli e d

, ,

that this youth was Mars as shown by t he r e d colour o f his coat ,

and that he had sung this song as a warning t o t he E mp e ror

o f the approachin g o v e rthrow Of h is kin g dom This ove r .

throw would not be broug ht about by the incursions o f e n e mi e s

from W ithout but by the intri g u e s o f a woman in the palace .

Thi s was the m e aning o f the lin e con ce rning the se tting o f the
sun and t he risin g O f the moon t he su n me aning the E mp e ror
,

and the moon an E mpr e ss It was this proph e cy whi ch was ful
.

fill e d by the d ire r e sults o f the influe nce O f the concubin e Pao
Ssil ove r the E mp e ror Y u W ang .

H sil Y u is a conspicuous e xampl e O f mode sty in the e stimat e

O f on e s own abiliti e s
’
H e was o n e O f t he Four Philosoph e r s
.
I 68 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
o f Miao Ku She a hill in t he N orth e rn Se a me ntion e d by
, ,

Chuang Tz u The E mp e ror Yao o fi e re d to re sig n the thron e

.

in his favour but this alarm e d Hsu Y u so much that he rush e d

,
.

o ff to cl e an se his e ars from t he cont a mination o f such words .

H e was accustom e d to d rink wat e r by dipping his hand in the

brook S om e o n e g ave him a g ourd to u se for this purpos e
. .

H sii Y u hun g it o n a tre e n e ar his hou se and the wind whi stlin g
throug h the g ourd made a pl e asant sound H e did not con side r .

him se lf worthy to have this pl e asure and thr e w t he g ourd away .

E ve n bri g ands may t e ach u se ful l e s sons Con fucius ac .

,

compani e d by Y e n yuan and Tz ii kung was trave lling south

- -

o f T ai shan
’
H e had an int e rvi e w with Tao Chih which

“
-
.

”
n ea rly turn e d into a trag e dy I s it not yo u
. t he bri g and ,

said to him whom th e y call K ung Ch iu false sag e o f the

,
’ ’
,

Kin g dom o f Lu ? In your criti cism s and inv e ctive s you spar e
n e ith e r milit ary nor civil o ffi cial s, and it is all simply to throw
'

dust into the e ye s o f the Prince You ar e nothin g but a be g g ar

.

fo r honours and th e re is no g r e at e r bri g and than you It is by .

mistake that th e y c all me the Bri g and Chih It would have ,

’
.

be e n m or e lo g ical to call yo u t he Brig and Ch iu Y o u pose ,

’ ’
.

as a holy man an d at h e a rt you ar e only a cl e ve r hypo crit e ,

who se wor d s de se rve not the slig ht e st cre de n ce ”

Con fucius .

in re turn cri e d : W hy by the g oodn e ss o f my h e art did I raise

up th e se d ifli cu l tie s fo r myse l f !
Liu Chih was the youn g e r broth e r o f Liu Hsia hui t he dis -

c ip l e o f Confucius H e was comm only known as Tao Chih

.
,

t he bri g and This bandit had a band o f nin e thou sand m e n

.

unde r his command an d he was t he cau se of g r e at troubl e in

,

t h e Kin g dom H is band h e l d m e n as hostag e s carri e d o ff

.
,

wome n stol e cattl e and hors e s and de va stat e d all the country
, ,

whi ch th e y c ove r e d Liu Chih is worshipp e d as t he G e n e ral o f

.

t he Five Brig ands ( W u Tao ) The characte r for brig .

”
and Mo has the same sound as that of road and the t e rm
”
, , ,

Five Brig ands was ori gi nally Five R oads It is stat e d .

x 7c CH I N E S E MYTH O L O GY
ye ars Hsu W u n o t only had succe e de d in incr e asin g the value
o f his prop e rty, but had also acquir e d a g ood e du cation fo r

hims e l f and in th e s e two r e sults his young e r broth e rs share d

, .

Th e E ld e r s o f t he distri ct call e d the att e ntion o f t he mag istrat e

t o t he g r e at tal e nts of H su W u and urg e d that he b e re co m

me nde d to the E mp e ror for appointm e nt W h e n H sii W u .

re ach e d the ca pital he was first appoint e d s e cr e tary o f a Board

and lat e r ros e to a ve ry hig h position .

Aft e r a fe w ye ars o f s e rvi ce to t he Gove rnme nt , Hsu d e

cide d that he would re turn hom e and asce rtain ho w his broth
e r s had b e e n pro sp e rin g H e found that th e y had made g ood
.

u se o f th e ir tim e both in tillin g t he soil and in profi ci e ncy in

th e ir studi e s In orde r to t e st th e ir r e al attainm e nts how e ve r

.
, ,

H su W u con ce iv e d th e plan o f sugg e stin g th at the e stat e shoul d

be divide d and in Vi e w o f his hig h po sition as contraste d with
, ,

that o f his broth e rs that he should b e g ive n t he larg e r portion

,

o f th e valuabl e lands and hous e s whi ch had com e into th e ir

posse s sion chi e fly throug h the e xe rtions o f t he two young e r

broth e rs The di sciplin e of t he two broth e r s had b e e n so
.

se v e r e that th e y r e adily a g r e e d to H sii s proposal and cont e nt e d

’

th e m se lve s with living abst e miou sly in small thatch e d house s

whil e th e ir more prosp e ro us broth e r fare d luxuriously in t he
com fortabl e rooms o f the ce ntral court H su W u was n o t .

wholly n e g l e ct ful o f the int e r e sts of his broth e r s for he re co m

m e nde d th e m to the mag i strate who in turn s e nt in th e ir
,

name s to t he E mp e ror as fit p e rsons t o r e ce ive hi g h po sitions .

In du e tim e the two young e r sons w e re appoint e d to re spon sibl e

po st s in whi ch th e y we re as su cce ssful as th e ir e lde r broth e r had
be e n .

The se qu e l o f this story is that wh e n t he two broth e rs r e

si g n e d from th e ir o fli cial positions and r e turn e d to th e ir au c e s

tral hom e H su call e d to g e th e r the E lde rs o f the di strict and

, ,

in th e ir pre se nce told his two youn g e r broth e rs o f t he plan

which he had followe d all th e se ye ars fo r t e sting th e ir abiliti e s .
 E X E M P L AR Y TAL E S 17 1

H e had be com e sati sfi e d that t he broth e rs w e re m e n o f sup e rior

tal e nt an d comm e ndabl e V irtue For this r e ason he re qu e st e d
.

the E lde rs t o mak e a n e w dis tributi o n o f t he prop e rty and

mon e y so that h e woul d share e qual ly with e ach o f his two
young e r broth e rs, and thus undo what must have be e n co n sid
e re d as an unj ust distribution m ade s e ve ral ye ars pr e viously .

The youn g e r broth e rs at first obj e cte d to any chang e and said
that th e y had re ce ive d in the first instance more than th e y had
de se rve d but H sii insiste d o n carrying o u t the plan This re
,
.

distribution was succe s sfully n e g otiat e d by the E lde rs and the ,

thre e broth e rs w ith th e ir famili e s live d to the rip e o ld ag e o f

o n e hundr e d y e ars in p e rf e c t harmony .

A story is told o f Yan g Yung p o a man o f the se cond ce n

—
,

tury A D H e live d in a mountain pass and was accustome d to

. .

supply drink to thirsty trave ll e rs A ft e r carrying on thi s char

.

itabl e work fo r mor e than thre e y e ars a wayfare r whos e thirst,

h ad b e e n qu e nch e d pre s e nt e d Yan g with a p o t o f what he said

,

we re cabbag e se e ds The strang e r told him to plant th e s e s e e d s

.

in a fi e ld and that th e re by he would obtain som e g ood j ade and

al so a wife A ft e r plantin g the s e e ds Yang be thoug ht himse l f
.
,

o f a w e ll k nown woma n o f com e ly parts wh o d e mand e d, as t he

-

price o f he r willin g n e ss t o m arry him t wo brace l e ts o f whit e

,

j ad e Yang re m e mbe r e d the st ate m e nts made to him by the

.

trave ll e r and w e nt o u t t o dig in his fi e ld wh e r e upon he was ,

re warde d by finding five pairs o f j ade brace l e ts It is from this .

tal e that the di stri ct o f Y ii t i e n in t he Provinc e o f Chihli take s

’ —

”
its nam e Y ii t i e n havin g t he m e anin g of a fi e ld o f j ade
—
’
.

Shih P i a mag istra t e o f the Té hua d istrict , lost his wi fe

’
,
-

whe n he was forty ye ars o f age and was l e ft with o n e daug ht e r,

,

Y ii e h H siang who was th e n e ig ht ye ars o ld

,
S hih P i was a .
’

c on sci e ntious man upri ht in his de alin s and

g , g g i ft e d with g re at
,

l e g al discrimination W h e n he re turn e d in the e ve ning s from

.

his o ffi ce h e would tak e littl e Y ii e h Hsian g on his kn e e and

t e ach he r c haract e rs o r play ch e ss an d oth e r g am e s with he r
,
.
I 72 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
One day the nurse who was pla yin g W i th Yue h Hsian g ki cke d ,

a ball into a tank whi ch was e mbe dde d in t he floor to hold

wat e r Th e y both tri e d in vain to pi ck it o u t, and finally call e d
.

S hih P i who thoug ht this an e xc e ll e nt tim e to t e st the in te lli

’
,

g e n ce o f his daug ht e r H e aske d he r to sug g e st a m e thod o f

.

r e cove ring the ball Yu e h Hsian g a fte r a fe w mom e nts

.
,
’

thoug ht advis e d that wat e r sho ul d b e poure d into t he cavity

,

and the ball would ris e t o the top Thi s th e y did and t he ball .

cam e o u t g re atl y pl e asing S hih P i

,
’
.

A ft e r Shih P i had b e e n mag istrate in this place fo r two

’

ye ars he fe ll into d i sg race o n a ccou n t o f t he lo ss o f g ove rn

,

m e nt g rain and d i e d o f g ri e f H e l e ft his daug hte r in c harg e

, .
'

o f he r nurse but in orde r to pay to t he

, g ove rnm e nt the de bts
which had b e e n l e ft it was de cide d to se ll both t he daug hte r
,

and the nurse Th e y we re boug ht by Chia Chang a man who

.
,

had b e e n pardon e d fo r an o fl e n ce by Shih P i and thoug ht to ,

show his g ratitude to him by kindn e ss t o his daug ht e r H e .

took th e m to his o wn hom e and pla ce d th e m in charg e o f his

wi fe t e lling he r that Yu e h H siang should be tr e at e d as th e ir
,

own daug hte r Chia Ch an g s wi fe was n e ith e r virtuous nor

.
’

wi se and findin g Y u e h H siang both b e auti ful and int e lli g e nt

, ,

be cam e e xce e ding ly j e alous? of he r Chia wh e n h e was away .

,

from hom e trading would find a choice bit o f silk or g auze and
,

s e n d it to Y ii e h Hsiang to make a dre ss This furth e r irritat e d .

t he wi fe so much that she could no lon g e r hold he r tong u e and ,

sh e would storm and rag e , usin g anythin g but t he c hoi ce st lan

g ua g e .

A fte r continue d insults which Chia Chang tri e d in vain to

pr e ve nt the wi fe taki n g advantag e o f the abse nce o f he r hus
, ,

ban d s e ize d all the pre tty cloth e s which had be e n g ive n by he r
,

husband to Yu e h H siang and th e n so ld the g irl as a s e rvant to

,

a bride j ust marri e d into the family o f the mag istrat e who had
s ucc e e de d Y ii e h H sian g s fath e r in this o f
fi c e O n t he day
’
.

following he r sal e , Yu e h Hs i an g was g ive n a broom and told

 C H A PTE R X IV

TH E A T R I C A L T A L E S

HE most popular and wide ly known tal e s o f e arly Chi

n e s e li fe ar e tho se whi ch c onc e rn t he e ve nt s at t he clo se
o f t he Han d yna sty wh e n t he c ountry was divide d into t he
,

Thre e Kin g doms o f Shu W e i and W u Th e se we re wove n

, .

into a se ri e s o f historical drama s call e d t he S an Ku o Chilz Y e n I

by L o Kuan Chung in t he twe l fth c e ntury and soon be ca m e t he
—
,

mo st stirrin g national e ve nts that have e ve r be e n produce d o n

t h e stag e . The p e riod cove re d is from I 6 S to 2 6 5 A D The . .

narrativ e be g in s with the domination o f t he e unu chs during t he

re ig n o f Ling Ti wh e n the E mpr e ss Tou was re g e nt It was .

ag ainst t he pow e r o f the e unuch s that the g r e at lit e rary state s

man Li Yin g vainly hurl e d him se l f at the co st o f his life
, , .

”
S oon t he r e b e llion o f t h e Y e llow Turbans ( Huang Chin )
broke out h e a d e d by Chang Chio who su cce e de d in raising a
,

forc e o f n e arly four hun d red thou sand m e n Thi s larg e body
.

o f m e n had b e e n brou g ht to g e th e r by a common b e li e f in t he

mag ical powe rs o f Chang Chio and o f his two broth e rs Th e se .

m e n mad e capital of this popular trust in th e ir powe rs, fra

t e r n ize d with t he e u nuch s and plott e d insurr e ctions .

Durin g the re b e llion Liu P e i e nt e re d into a sol e mn c ove nant

,

with Kuan Y iI and Chan g Fe i whi ch was known as the Pe ach

’

Or chard O ath ( T ao Yu an S an Chie h I ) the purpo se o f

” ’
,

which was to re claim the de clinin g fortun e s o f t he Han dy

na sty Th e s e thre e m e n among se ve n hundre d characte rs,
.
,

be cam e the ce ntral fi g ure s o f t he drama ; thoug h thi s p o sition

would scarce l y b e warrant e d by histori c fact s O f the thre e .
,

Liu P e i is the for e most as was his rig ht o n account o f his be ing
 TH EATR ICAL TA L E S 17 5

t he de sce n dan t o f the Imp e rial House o f Han and himse l f

t he foun d e r o f t he Han d yna sty in S hu th e mode rn S z e chu an ,
.

H e is re pr e se nt e d as a parag on o f kin g ly virtue H e was al .

ways calm and dig nifi e d The m e n a sso ciat e d with him g ave
.

him the r e sp e ct du e to a ki ng : H e h ad som e ability as a l e a d e r

up to the tim e wh e n he be cam e King 5 th e n he laps e d int o a
stat e o f h e lpl e ssne ss su ch as is suppo se d to be natural to this
,

po sition H e was ste rn and de vot e d to j usti ce e ve n to t he point

.

o f throwin g to t he g round his in fant so n who had b e e n r e s cu e d

with his moth e r by the p e rsonal valour o f his Ge n e ral Ch ao ,

Y i In H e blam e d t he child fo r cau sin g a valuabl e g e n e ral t o

'

run the risk o f lo sin g his li fe H e him se lf was by no m e ans .

brave un d e r all cir cum stan ce s fo r wh e n de fe at cam e he took

,

re fug e in fli ght l e aving his g e n e rals and soldi e rs to th e ir fate

,
.

H e had an extraor d inary p e r sonal app e aranc e H is e ar s w e re .

so long that th e y re ach e d to his shoul de rs his arms re a ch e d be ,

l o w his kn e e s and h e coul d look b e hind him with h is e ye s .

The rise o f th e Thre e H e ro e s was v e ry slo w Th e y wan .

de r e d fro m place to place a sso ciating th e mse lve s at o n e tim e

’

with o n e l e ad e r and th e n with ano th e r Som e time s th e y

,
.

h e lp e d Ts ao Ts ao and a g ain th e y ar e found o n the side o f

’ ’
,

Ts a o s e n e mi e s
’ ’
Th e y m e t with n o si g nal succe ss until Liu
.

P e i di scov e r e d th e h e rmit Chu k 0 Lian g in his re e d hut Liu

,
—
,
.

P e i was astoni sh e d to fin d t he pr o found knowl e dg e o f Chu k 0 -

Liang and lik e ne d his d i scove ry to that o f a fish be ing re store d

,

to t he wat e r Th e re cord o f thi s m e e ting o f Liu P e i with

.

Chu k 0 Liang o ccupi e s thre e c hapt e rs o f t he drama thus

-

e mpha sizin g t h e impo r tan ce o f thi s e xtraordinary man A fte r .

t he aid o f thi s g r e at G e n e ral h a s b e e n s e cur e d t he d rama nar ,

rate s the pre paration s fo r the g r e at battl e at Ch ih P i t he m o d ’

,

e r n Chi a Y u Hsi e n about fi fty mil e s w e st o f Hankow o n t he

, ,

Yang tze R ive r The army o f Ts ao Ts ao is re pre se nt e d as

. .
’ ’

numb e ring about o n e millio n m e n an d so confide nt was this

‘

imm e nse force o f its succe ss that it lay idl e fo r a whole month
I 76 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
waiting for Liu P e i to app e ar Pr e vious to t he g re at battl e .

th e re had be e n innum e rabl e fi g ht s and skirmish e s in which

various h e ro e s showe d th e ir prowe ss but the battl e had n o ,

soon e r b e g un than it e nd e d in t he utt e r rout o f Ts ao Ts ao

’ ’
.

A ft e r this g re at e xploit littl e is said o f the two oth e r h e ro e s,

Kuan Y u and Chang Fe i wh e r e as mu ch is mad e o f t he wonde r
,

fu l d e e d s o f Chu k 0 Liang H e h e ade d an e xp e dition to t he

-
.

south wh e r e he p e r fo rm e d many de e ds o f valour ag ainst the

t u rbul e nt barbarians call e d Man 1 Liu P e i ro se rapi dly t o .

powe r an d founde d his n e w Han dynasty with his capital at

Ch én g tu This kin g dom was not so pow e rful as that o f W e i
’ —
.

foun d e d by Ts ao Ts ao nor so we althy as that o f W u founde d

’ ’
,

by Sun Ch ii an but l e sse r att e ntion is paid to th e se two king

’
,

do m s in the plot o f the drama whi ch make s Liu P e i the l e adin g ,

p e r son .

Kuan Y u was t he nobl e st of the Thre e H e ro e s H e r e .

main e d faith ful to t he oath which he had sworn in t he P e ach

Garde n and was always true in his all e g ian ce Thoug h he was .

a g re at warrior he r e main e d a kindly man as sho wn by his

, ,

allowing Ts ao Ts ao to e scap e from puni shm e nt by de ath for

’ ’

car e l e ssn e ss W h e n Ts ao Ts a o had made him many valuabl e

.
’ ’

pre se nts he re turn e d to hi s companions still clad in the o l d

,

armour whi ch had be e n g ive n to him by his sworn broth e r H e .

foug ht brave ly ag ainst Sun Ch u an and re j e ct e d the o ffe r o f ’

,

m e rcy, thoug h he paid the p e nalty o f it with his li fe H e had .

a striking p e rsonality his long flowing b e ard making him ve ry

,

disting uish e d in app e aranc e .

Ts ao Ts ao was t he vill ain o f the drama H e was bold but

’ ’
.

stupid an d is re pr e se nt e d as always falling into traps which

,

we re laid fo r him H e is re source ful in plans but always fails

.

to carry th e m to compl e tion His crue lty was constantly be ing

.

shown by t he se v e r e puni shm e nts wh c h h e m e t e d o u t to all

i
who oppose d his will H e kill e d the e ntire house hold o f his
.

fath e r s sworn broth e r with his o wn hands an d he att e mpt e d

’
17 8 CH I N E SE M YTH O L OGY
with Chou Y u a cl e ve r young state sman re g arding the plan
, ,

o f attack o f th e ir e n e my Ts ao T s ao , K un
g Ming stat e d that
’ ’ ’

Ts ao Ts ao had coll e ct e d an army o f a million m e n and

’ ’

would probably attack th e m by wate r H e th e n inquire d what .

would be the b e st we apons to u se in frustrating such an attack .

Chou Y iI an swe r e d that th e y would n e e d bows and arrows but

’

that the army was e xtre m e ly short o f arrows and would n e e d

at l e a st o n e hundre d thousand K ung Min g p ro m ise d o n
’
.

p e nalty o f his li fe to produce t he r e quire d numb e r in thre e

days H e th e n a ske d fo r tw e nty o r: thirty larg e boats a larg e
.
,

quantity o f straw and cl o th and about forty soldi e rs who we re

,

to bring drum s and g on g s with th e m W h e n all th e s e w e re .

produce d K un g Ming had t he straw made up into shap e s

’
,

like m e n whi ch we re cl oth e d and place d in po sition o n t he

,

de cks Ve ry e arly o n t he morning of t he third day K ung

.
,
’

Min g and a coun se llor o f Chou Y u s nam e d Lu H sii n who ’

,

had be e n de tail e d to wat ch e ve nts w e nt aboard o n e of the ,

v e s se ls with t he f o rty soldi e rs t he whol e fl e e t was th e n n u ,

moore d and t he boats float e d down str e am Just as the boats -

.

approach e d Ts ao Ts ao s fl e e t , a h e avy fo g fe ll all o f whi ch

’ ’ ’
,

had be e n corr e ctly cal culat e d by K ung Ming H e th e n o r ’

.

de re d the soldi e rs to be at th e ir g ong s and drums and make as

mu ch nois e as possibl e Ts ao Ts ao s arch e rs alarm e d and
.
’ ’ ’
, ,

f e aring an attack fir e d in t he dir e ction o f t he sound This

,
.

firing continue d for ove r an hour wh e n K ung Min g orde re d a ,

’

re tre at As th e y r e tir e d he orde re d his soldi e rs to shout th e ir

.
,

thanks t o T s ao Ts ao fo r his lib e ral sup ply o f arrows The

’ ’
.

arrows w e r e found in g r e at e st pr o fusion , stickin g to t he straw ‘

dummi e s O ve r a hun d re d thousand we re thus coll e ct e d from

.

t h e e n e my without t he loss o f a sin g l e lif e .

Sup e rn atural powe rs and e xtraordinary e ve nts are fre qu e ntly

m e ntion e d in the drama The ma g ical l e ade rs who we re with
.

t he Ye llow Turbans w e r e abl e to cau se ston e s to fl y, fi e rc e winds

t o arise and pap e r m e n to app e ar from the e arth

,
W h e n an .
 TH EATR ICAL TAL E S 179

army o f m e n from the king dom o f W e i had attacke d the t e rri

tory o f Shu K ung Min g frig ht e n e d th e m away by sudde nly
,
’

app e aring in a g hostly form W h e n K ung Ming was o n his

.
’

south e rn e xp e dition, an o ld h e rmit g ave him in formation r e

g ardin g the be st way to attack his e n e mi e s, and to Ts ao Ts ao
’ ’

an old whit e haire d strang er app e are d t e lling him how he

—

c ould build a wall about his cam p At important cris e s cl e ve r

.

a d vice is g ive n by som e pre viously obscure p e rson and this ad ,

vice l e ads t o a g re at Victory At o ne tim e t he G e n e ral Chao

.

Y im app e are d with a small troop at the critical mom e nt wh e n

'

.
,

it s e e m e d c e rta i n that Kung su n Chao would be de fe at e d The

-
.

marve llous p e rsonal app e arance o f Chao Y un accomplish e d in

a fe w mom e nts what Kung su n Chao s army dare d not att e mpt
’ -
.

Le ade rs burst into be l e ag ue re d c iti e s o r arrive with dispat ch e s

just wh e n the turn of e ve nts is most urg e nt R e scuing force s .

ar e hidde n in conve ni e nt ravin e s o r b e hind tr e e s r e ady t o ap ,

p e ar at the opportun e time Su ch incide nts are n o t n e ce ssarily

.

hi stori cal but th e y c ontribut e th e ir share to this r e markabl e

drama , t he parts o f whi ch have be e n pre se nte d in all proba
bil ity to mor e h e ar e rs than any similar production in the hi sto ry

/
o f the world . This summary is a v e ry inade quat e pr e s e ntation
o f S am Ku o Chi z whi c h would r e quir e a book d e vot e d wholly
,

to its tran slation if o n e tri e d to de scribe all its sce n e s .

Ku o Ai of the T ang dynasty was the so n o f Ku o Tzil i H e

’
’ -
.

was o n e o f a larg e family o f s e ve n sons an d e ig ht dau g ht e rs .

O n account o f the g re at m e rit o f his fath e r the E mp e ror T ai

,
’

Tsung arrang e d t he marriag e o f his daug ht e r with Ku o Ai .

This was a hig h honour but was conside re d appropriat e inas

, ,

much as Ku o Ai s fath e r had alre ady be e n raise d t o t he rank

’

o f Prin ce o f F eng yang The youn g coupl e did n o t g e t o n

-
.

ve ry we ll tog e th e r the husband boasting that it was du e to the

,

m e rit o f his fath e r that the E mp e ror h e ld his thron e and the ,

wi fe makin g too much o f he r rank as a Prin ce ss O ne day .

Ku o Ai told his wi fe that she mig ht b e ve ry proud o f having

I 80 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
an E mp e ror fo r he r fath e r but that if his fath e r wante d to be
,

E mp e ror h e could e asily be com e such At this S he b e cam e ve ry

.

an g ry and said som e harsh thing s to he r husband wh e re upon,

he twice slapp e d he r o n the fa ce . S he rush e d o ff in a rag e t o

t e ll he r fath e r the E mp e ror, and accuse d he r husban d o f d is
,

l oyalty o n acco un t o f the r e marks which h e had made about his

fath e r, Ku o Tz iI i
’
—
.

The E mp e ror took the

e pi sod e ve ry calmly
an d said that t he squab

ble whi ch th e y had had

was probably du e e n
t ire ly to th e ir youth .

W hil e the daug ht e r

was stating he r case to
he r fath e r Ku o Tz iI i
’
-

him se l f app e ar e d upon

the sce n e brin g ing h is
son Ku o Ai with him ,

whom he had bound in

chains H e re qu e ste d
.

t he E mp e ror to orde r

the summary e xe cution

o f his so n fo r t he dis
FIG 6 0 . Y o FE !
re sp e ct whi ch he had
shown to the E mp e ror s daug ht e r The E mp e ror r e fuse d to
’
.

do so and with mag nanimity o f spirit pardon e d e ve rybody .

Oth e r th e atri cal tal e s ce ntre around Yo Fe i and his wife .

Aft e r the de ath o f Y 0 Fe i s fath e r he was taug ht by his

’

moth e r and many instance s are dramatize d d e pi cting the care

,

which t he moth e r took o f he r son She cho se fo r him a g oo d

.

wi fe and aft e r his marriag e he obtain e d t he hig h e st de g re e in

,

the national e xaminations . A ft e r v olunt e e ring fo r se rvi ce in

suppre ssing the north e rn invade rs , he himse l f be cam e the vic
I 82 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
he r court yard he b e h e ld the E mpre ss sh e dding bitte r t e ars,
-

but se e in g the troubl e d face o f t he E mp e ror S he re strain e d he r

o wn fe e lin s and tri e d t o c om fort him
g W hil e th e y we re
.

talking tog e th e r the boom o f cannon and t he n e ig hin g o f horse s

ming l e d with the shouts o f t he m e n who w e re atta cking t he
city . Th e ir son e nt e re d and the E mp e ror l e ft him with his
moth e r whil e he re main e d wrapp e d in his own g loomy
thoug hts Su dde nly he r e alize d that t he two had b e e n g one
.

for a ve ry lon g tim e and start e d to find th e m only to di scove r ,

that t he Em pre ss had thrown h e rs e l f into a we ll W hil e he

I

was lam e ntin g t he de ath o f his E mpr e ss his b e autiful youn g

d aug ht e r hast e n e d t o his side The E mp e ror said to h e r :
.

H o w can I allo w you to fall into t he hands o f the re b e l s?

and th e re upon aft e r t e nde rly e mbracing he r , sl e w he r with
,

his o wn sword H e th e n commande d a se rvant t o g o with him

.

to Coal Hill ( prop e rly call e d Prosp e ct Hill o r Ching Shan )

'

and to bring writing mat e rial The E mp e ror partially dis

.

rob e d him se l f and c limbe d bare h e ade d and bare foote d , hal f
,
— -

way u p t he e a st e rn side o f t he hill H e re he stopp e d t o write

.

his la st words : R e b e ls have captur e d the E mpir e How can .

I fa ce my an ce stors ? Do what you like with my body but do ,

”
n o t inj ur e my innoc e nt
pe ople H e put thi s writin g into
.

his po cke t loo se ne d his o wn silk g irdl e we nt up a fir tr e e to

, ,
—
,

a limb o f whi ch he ti e d t he g irdl e and thus hang e d himse lf .

W h e n the vi ctoriou s Li Tz u ch eng had be e n l e d to the

’

“
-

spot wh e re the E mp e ror was hang ing he orde re d the body

,

to b e take n down and tre at e d with r e sp e ct This was an

.

”
E mp e ror who love d his p e opl e was his comm e nt wh e n Li
,

r e ad the pap e r which was tak e n from t he body of the de ad

E mp e ror .

Th e re are many oth e r plots ce ntre ing around g r e at characte rs

such as we re c on spi cuou s at the founding o f t he Various dy
nasti e s In contra st with th e se hi sto rical plays ar e thos e with
.

mode rn plots which are to a ce rtain e xt e nt didactic As an .

 TH E ATR ICAL TAL E S 183

e xampl e o f such plays the following is a summ ary o f The

W illow Lut e ( L ia S W CWin)
"
This play has be e n popular
.

in China fo r t he last two g e n e ration s .

Li Chi was a we althy m e rchant who se wi fe had di e d l e aving

him a so n P o T un g and a daughte r Kwe i Chi H e had mar
,
’
,
.

ri e d for a se cond tim e taking to wi fe a woman by t he nam e

,

o f Yang San chun It be cam e n e ce ssary fo r Li Chi t o take a

—
.

busin e ss trip into a distant province W hil e he was g on e his .

wi fe e nt e re d into a low intrig ue with a we althy libe rtin e o f t he

c ity T i e n W an g O n e day Po T ung t he son , saw thi s man
’ ’
, .
,

c omin g o u t o f his st e p moth e r s room and viol e ntly accusing

— ’
,

him he d rove him o u t o f the house with blows The ste p

,
.

moth e r fl e w into a tow e rin g rag e and wh e n Kwe i Chi t he , ,

si st e r and he r o l d nurs e cam e to P 0 T un s assistanc h ’ ’

e s e se t
, g ,

th e g irl to grin d in g ric e and s e nt t he boy to t h e hills to g ath e r

fue l.

Kwe i Chi and t he o l d nurse follow e d Po T ung o u t to t he ’

hill s an d Kwe i Chi be g g e d he r broth e r to g o at on ce and se e k

,

th e ir fath e r g 1v in g him he r e ar ring s and h e ad ornam e nts to

,
-

pay fo r his tr ave lling e xp e ns e s Afte r bidding him an a ffe c

.

tio n ate far e we ll Kwe i Chi watch e d until he was out of S i g ht

, ,

an d th e n in t h e pre s e nce of h e r o ld nurs e j ump e d into the ,

rive r saying she would rath e r die than re turn to he r st e p

,

moth e r The nurse re turn e d hom e mourning , but with r e

.

ve ng e in he r h e art ag ain st the wi ck e d Yang San chun -

.

But Kwe i Chi was not drown e d for t he W at e r g o d o f the ,

-

rive r ro se o u t o f the de pths and bore he r away in his arms It .

happ e n e d that sam e day that a re tire d o fli ce r Liu H siao h siang ,

-

with his wi fe Lady W an g was trav e lling o n t h e rive r in a g re at

, ,

j unk The W at e r g o d broug ht Kwe i Chi to t he sur fa ce clos e

.
-

by t he boat and she was re s cu e d and take n o n board The old

, .

c oupl e w e r e so impre sse d with Kw e i Chi s sad story and so

’

charme d with he r app e aran ce that be ing childl e ss , th e y de cide d

,

to adopt he r as th e ir o wn d aug ht e r .
1 84 CH I N E S E M YTH OL OGY
Th e fate of
T un g had not b e e n so happy H e wande re d
Po ’
.

far and wide in s e arch o f his fath e r until his mon e y was all
sp e nt . W orn and d i scourag e d he soug ht r e fug e in a monast e ry
, ,

wh e r e the o l d abbot took him in as an acolyte The pre fe ct o f .

that district coming to t he monast e ry o n e day to o ffe r in ce nse to

,

the g ods was so much stru ck with t he app e aran ce o f P o T un ’

, g
that he o ffe re d to adopt him The abbot willing ly le t him g o
.

with the pre fe ct who promis e d to e d ucat e him in su ch a way

,
-

that Po T ung should have e ve ry opportunity fo r o fli cial ad

’

Van ce m e nt .

M e anwhil e sad thing s had b e e n happ e ning at the h o m e o f

,

Li Chi The o l d nurs e a ft e r se e ing her b e love d charg e drown

.
,

h e r se l f as she thou g ht, r e turn e d hom e to ac cuse Yang San

,

chun and was ki cke d and b e at e n to d e ath by h e r and he r l o w

,

companions Shortly aft e r a n e w compli cation aro s e Chao

.
, .

Chun g who was be troth e d to Kwe i Chi cam e to the hous e to

, ,

make final arrang e m e nts fo r the marriag e Yang San chun .

-

invit e d him to wait in the library, and th e n plott e d with T i e n ’

W ang that th e y should k e e p him th e r e until t he middl e o f t he

ni g ht wh e n th e y would se t fire to the buildin g But as Chao .

Chun g wait e d th e re , the g ho st o f the o l d nurse app e are d and

told him o f all the e vil doing s o f the wi cke d st e p moth e r t he —
,

suppo se d de ath o f poor Kwe i Chi , and the plot ag ainst his o wn
li fe Chao Chung incr e dulous at fir st was finally convince d
.
, ,

and fl e d His plig ht was in d e e d piti ful fo r his fath e r had die d
.
,

l e avin g him ve ry poor H e tri e d to make a living by writing ,

.

but was robbe d o f what littl e he had and finally was re d uce d t o ,

be g g ing and came to the door o f Liu H siao hsian g the r e tire d -

soldi e r who had adopt e d Kwe i Chi Liu was stru ck with his in .

t e ll ig e n t e xpr e ssion and on qu e stionin g him found that Chao

, ,

Chun g s fath e r had b e e n o n e o f his clo se st fri e nds So Liu at

’
.

on ce took Chao Chung into his family, to g ive him e ve ry chance

fo r study in orde r that he mi g ht attain lit e rary e min e n ce .

Chao Chung s trouble s we re now ove r but his h e art was still
’
,
I 86 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
l ian tl y and was appoint e d mag istrat e o f the district o f P ao
Ch in g Kw e i Chi s o l d hom e W ith his wi fe he proce e de d at
’
,
’
.

on ce to take up his n e w appointme nt Poor o ld Li Chi was be .

in g torture d in his pri son ce ll whil e his su ffe ring s we r e u n

-

known to his own daug ht e r living happily so n e ar him The .

g o d Tai P o o n e ni g ht took pity an d conv e y e d t he words and

, ,

g roans o f Li Chi to t he e ars o f his daug ht e r S he thoug ht she .

had b e e n d re amin g but t he n e xt mornin g made Inquiri e s and

,

found that in truth it was he r o wn fath e r who was thus confin e d

and su ffe ring She s e nt fo r him , and having d i sg u 1se d h e rse lf
.
,

so that he would not r e co niz e h e r h e ar d his sad tal e o f t he

g ,

unj ust accusation and he r ste p moth e r s crime Kwe i Chi w e nt

’ —
.

at on ce to he r husban d to pl e ad fo r he r fath e r s re l e ase H e ’

.

said h e coul d do nothin

g s inc e t he o l d man ,
had mad e a writt en

con fe ssion but that the n e w Gove rnor would b e arriving that
,

day and that the cas e mig ht b e laid b e fore him But th e re was .

o n e d ifli cu l t
y In t h e abse nce o f the old man s son who could
’
,
.

app e ar to pl e ad fo r him ? Kwe i Chi imm e diate ly said that

sin ce he r broth e r was not th e r e she h e rs e lf would pl e ad in his
st e ad W h e n Chao Chun g prot e st e d that such an act would
.

d isg ra ce him as a mag istrate Kw e i Chi said that t o save he r ,

fath e r s nam e she would despis e any o ffi ce and climb t o H e ave n

’

o r c rawl t o t he d e pth s o f t he e arth H e r husband was much .

touch e d by he r filial de votion and promise d to h e lp he r, r e g ard

l e s s o f the publi c cons e qu e nce s .

The Gove rnor a rriv e d e nt e re d t he Hall of Justi ce , and

,

call e d for the first cas e Kwe i Chi was brou g ht be for e him and
.

hande d him a state m e nt o f he r suit The Gove rnor comm e nce d .

to r e ad it start e d viol e ntly look e d at Kwe i Chi th e n orde re d

, , ,

t he court to b e cl e ar e d and Kwe i Chi conduct e d to an inner

room W h e n he follow e d he r in , she dis cove re d that the Gov

.

e r n o r was non e oth e r than he r lon g lost broth e r Po T ung -

’
.
,

H e r husband t he mag istrate cam e in and j oin e d in t he happy

, ,

re union and th e ir fath e r Li Chi was at once se nt fo r H e ar

,
.
 T H E ATR I CAL TAL E S 18 7

rive d to find his family re store d to him, and th e ir happin e ss

was compl e t e And as fo r the wicke d Yan g S an chun and he r
.
-

companion th e y found the fat e that th e y de s e rve d o n the e x e

,

cu tio n g round
-
.
 C H A P TE R XV
B U D D H IS T MYT H S
U D D H ISM nt e re d China from Ce ntral Asia 1n the ye ar
e

6 7 A D d urin g th e r e ig n o f t he E mp e ror Ming Ti Th e

. .
, .

t wo bonz e s Matan g a and G o b har an a broug ht with th e m Bud

, ,

d hist books whi ch th e y are sai d to hav e carri e d o n the back o f a

whit e hor se Th e y se ttl e d at L o yang whi ch was th e n the capi

“
-
.

tal an d th e E mp e ror built fo r th e m e ast o f the city, the first

, ,

mona st e ry in China and nam e d it The Mona ste ry o f t he ,

W hit e Hors e ( Pai Ma The buil d in g s on this site have

b e e n r e paire d many tim e s during succe e d ing dynastie s “Bud
d hism ma d e slow pro g r e ss in China The bonze s, who w e re .

n e arly all fore ig n e rs de vot e d th e ir time to the tran slation o f

,

books In t he Chin dynasty durin g the latt e r part o f the third

.
,

ce ntury A O Budd hism be g an to flourish unde r Imp e rial pat

,
. .

r o n ag e . D u r 1n g the r e i g n o f An Ti of t h e E a st e rn Chin d y
na sty Fa Hsi e n made hisfamou s j ourn e y to India to se cure
,

book s picture s and r e lics The Chin dynasty was succe e de d by

,
.

t h e Liu Sun g 4 2 0 A O and durin g this dynasty Bu d dhism

, . .
,

made furth e r pro g r e ss in propag an d a W u Ti 50 2 550 A D , .

,
—
. .

the found e r o f t he Lian g dynasty aid e d in di sse minating the ,

n e w faith and se t an e xampl e to his p e opl e by takin g monastic

vows and by public pr e a ching s o f Buddhi stic do ctrin e s It was .

during his re i g n that the Indian patriarch Bodhi d harma who , ,

was t he twe nty e ig hth succ e ssor o f Bud dha cam e to China by
-

se a landin g at Canton
,
H e was we ll re ce 1v e d by the E mp e ror
.

at Nankin g and continu e d his j ourn e ys northward to the re g ion

rul e d by the N orth e rn W e i dyn asty g e n e rally known as the
'

Hous e o f Toba H e r e he e nt e re d the Shao Lin Te mpl e o n

.
1 90 CH I N E S E M YTH O L OGY
among p e opl e Mo st o f the oth e r Buddhistic myths which
t he .

ar e o f Chin e se ori in ar e shar e d in common with Taoism

g 5 but
a fe w re main e xclusive ly Buddhi stic O n e o f the mo st not e d
.

mytholo g i cal a ccounts is that o f the a d ve ntur e s o f Yu an

Chuang a pri e st o f the se ve nth ce ntury who trave ll e d to Indi a
, ,

in s e ar ch o f Budd hist book s O n his re turn he dictat e d an a c

.

c ount o f his trav e l s to Pi e n Chi and his narrativ e is chi e fly co n

,

ce rn e d with a de scription o f t he variou s c ountri e s throu h whi ch

g
he had pa sse d durin g his j ourn e y of sixt e e n y e ars This book .

is call e d Ta T ang H si Y i i Chi W e st e rn Trave l s in the

T an g Dynasty
’
Durin g the Yuan dyna sty t he note d Taoist
Ch iu Ch u chi was se nt by the E mp e ror G e ng hi s Khan to In d ia
’ ’ —

and was a ccom p anie d by his pupil Li Chih ch an g O n th e ir -

’
.

r e turn Li wrote t he a ccount o f th e ir wande rin g s and o f the

mira culous e ve nt s whi ch he had l e arn e d to have happ e n e d to
t h e pri e st Yu an Chuang o n his e arli e r visit .

Th e titl e o f L i s book is tak e n from the e arli e r o ne , and it is

’

call e d H si Ya CIi i This lat e r book is full of miraculous e v e nt s

.

which althoug h th e y ar e int e rpre t e d from a Taoi st stand point

, ,

ar e all c onn e ct e d with t he Buddhisti c monk Y u an Chuan g and

’

fo r thi s r e a son ar e cla ssifi e d unde r t he h e adin g o f Bu dd histic

i

myths The first part of this book contains an a cc ount o f the

’

won d e rful g e n e alo g y o f Yu an Chuang .

Th e re was a young stude nt by the nam e o f Ch én Kuan g j ui —

,

o f t he city o f Hai chow -

H e aring that a comp e titive e xamina
.

tion was to be h e ld in the capital city o f Ch ang an he de cide d ’ -

to g o up and try his fortun e W h e n the e xamination was ov e r

.

it was found that Ch en had take n fir st pla ce H e was at onc e .

appointe d to a mag i stra cy in Kiang Chow whith e r he proce e de d ,

with his o ld moth e r and his bri d e the daug ht e r o f t he Chan

,

ce ll o r W e i Ch én g Aft e r a fe w days o f trave l the o l d lady

.
,

be came so fatig ue d that th e y stopp e d at an inn to r e st O n e .

morning Chén boug ht a ye llow carp fro m an old fish e rman

‘

thinking that his moth e r would e nj oy it But as he carri e d o ff .

 BU DD H I S T M YT H S 1 9:

his purchase he notice d that th e fish had clo se d it s e ye s and he ,

re me mbe re d an o l d saying that a fish whi ch clo se d its e ye s was

not what it se e m e d to be S o he at on ce thr e w t he fish back into
.

the rive r Afte r staying som e days at the inn th e y found that
.
,

the old moth e r was still not abl e to trave l A s Ch en was .

oblig e d to be at his po st by a ce rtain tim e he g o t a house fo r his

'

moth e r made he r quite com fo rtabl e and th e n proce e de d o n his

,

j ourn e y with his wi fe .

W h e n th e y cam e to the rive r Ch an g Kiang th e y took a boat

’
,

to b e fe rri e d acro ss O n e o f t he boatm e n name d Liu Hung

.
, ,

b e came e namour e d o f the be auty o f Ch en s wi fe and with t he ' ’

,

aid o f o n e o f his companion s c on co ct e d a wi ck e d plot Th e y

,
.

waite d until it was d ark an d wh e n th e y had re a ch e d a de se rt e d

, ,

spot th e y fe ll upon Ch en a n d h is s e rvant murde r e d th e m and

, ,

thre w th e ir bo d i e s into the rive r The young wi fe tri e d to

.

throw h e rse lf in a ft e r he r husband but was pre ve nt e d by Liu

,

Hung who dre ss e d him se l f in Ch en s cloth e s s e cure d his l e tte r

’
,

o f appointm e nt and se t o u t for Kiang Chow Ch én s body ’

,
.

sank t o the bottom o f the rive r wh e r e it was found by o n e of

‘

t he sp 1r1t s o f t he ni g ht wat ch and r e port e d to th e Dra g on Kin g

-
.

The Drag on commande d t he body to be broug ht be for e him ,

an d at onc e r e co g nize d Ch en , fo r , as it happ e n e d t he Dra g on ,

himse l f had be e n in the body o f the fish whi ch Ch en had r e

stor e d to t h e wat e r . Th e Drag on at on ce orde re d that Ch én s ’

g ho st an d soul shoul d b e brou g ht to him from t he t e mpl e wh e r e

th e y had take n re fug e W h e n the g host o f Ch en had app e are d
.

be fore the Drag on King , and had de scrib e d in d e tail the foul
murde r t he Drag on in r e turn told o f his inde bt e d ne ss to Chén ,
,

invit e d his g host to b e a g e n e ral in his own body g uard an d had -

his body care fully wrapp e d up and pr e se rve d until the prop e r
time sho u l d com e t o r e store Chén to life O n the j ourn e y to .

Kiang Chow Ch en s wi fe first r e solve d to kill h e rse l f and th e n

,
’
,

de ci d e d that as she was pre g nant it was he r duty to wait until

, ,

he r child was born .If it should be a so n he could ave n g e his ,

1 92 CH I N E S E M YTH O L OGY
fath e r s de ath W h e n th e y re ach e d Kiang Chow the villain
’
.
,

Liu was a cce pt e d as the n e w mag istrat e Ch én In d u e tim e , .

Chén s wi fe g ave birth to a so n

’
W h e n Liu Hun g saw t he
.

chil d he ord e r e d it at on ce t o b e kill e d but the moth e r b e

gg e d ,

that he would wait until t he n e xt day wh e n S he h e rse lf would ,

ca st t h e child in t h e riv e r The n e xt morning she bit he r arm

.

and with the blood wrot e on the baby s clothing his nam e and
, ,
’

tho se o f his par e nts and why he had be e n cast i n to the rive r
,
.

Th e n S he bit a small pie ce o u t of t he child s ri g ht small to e so ’

that she would b e abl e to re co g nize him in future and wrapping ,

him up care fully took him to the rive r s e dg e Just as she was ’
.

about to cast him in a plank cam e floating by Thanking

,
.

H e ave n fo r answ e ri n g he r praye rs she ti e d the c hild to the,

plank and se t him ad ri ft The plank float e d away and finally

.
,

g roun d e d in front o f t he Chin S han mona st e r y wh e r e t he abbot ,

h e aring a chil d s cry came out and re scu e d him H e re ad the

’
,
.

writin g o n the child s clothing put it away care fully, and

’
,

broug ht up the boy in the monast e ry W h e n he was e ig ht e e n .

,

he was made a Budd hist monk and was g iv e n t he nam e o f Yu an

Chuan g Finally the o ld abbot told him the tal e o f his arrival
.
,

and show e d him the blood writt e n c haract e r s o n his baby cloth e s
-

\‘
—

with th e ir trag ic story Y ii an Chuang imm e diate ly b e g g e d

.

l e ave to s e e k his moth e r, whi ch t he abbot g rant e d H e found .

he r still at Kiang Chow made him se l f known to he r and g re at

, ,

was h e r j oy at t h e miraculou s r e turn o f he r son Th e y th e n .

plann e d that Yuan Chuang should se e k his g randfath e r the o ld ,

Chan ce llor W e i and throug h him p e tition the King for t h e

,

punishm e nt o f Liu Hung and his confe de rat e Y ii an Chuang .

at on ce se t o u t for t he c apital W h e n the King h e ard the story

.
,

he was so much inc e n se d at t he villainy o f Liu Hung an d t he

de ce ption whi ch he had so lon g practis e d that he g ave im m e di
ate ord e r s fo r t he arr e st an d puni shm e nt o f t he two criminals .

Th e Chan ce llor and Y ii an Chuan g w e nt back to Kian g Chow

with t he troops who we re to carry out the King s orde rs Li ’

.
1 94 CH I N E S E M YTH O L OGY
southwe st o f W uhu , ( 3) W u t ai , in the Province o f Shansi ,
— ’

and ( 4 ) O m e i, in the Province o f Sze chuan By invoking

-
.

and honouring spiritual be ings whom it found alre ady e xisting

in China Budd hism de part e d from the t e aching o f its found e r,
,

and the chi e f intimat e conn e ction with thi s te aching was main
tain e d throug h its in si st e n ce upon th e duty o f m e d itation The .

practi ce of m e ditation was we ll known in China be fore the ar

“
-

rival o f Buddhi sm, and had b e e n carri e d o n from anci e nt tim e s

by the Mast e rs o f R e cip e s ( fan g shili ) Th e se m e n we re .

known in the Chow dynasty and flouri sh e d in larg e numbe rs in

the Ch in Th e y w e re re clus e s who de vot e d th e ir whol e tim e
’
.

to ma g ical practice s such as n e croman cy, e xorci sm and incant a

tions Budd hism found th e se m e n a g ood e xampl e fo r its own

.

pri e sthood and th e ir abode s mode ls fo r its t e mpl e s .

Th e re has n e ve r b e e n an y cl e ar cut distinction b e twe e n Bud -

d hism and the t e achin g s o f t h e Lib e ral S chool whi ch culminat e d

in the Taoi st re li g ion This has be e n true not only among the
.

common p e opl e but also amon g l e arn e d write rs E ve n the

,
.

E mp e ror Hui Tsung 1 100— 1 1 2 6 A D o f t he S ung dynasty

,
. .
, ,

who was an arde nt support e r o f Taoi sm con fe rre d upon Buddha ,

t he titl e o f The G olde n Immortal o f Gre at Knowl e dg e ( Ta

Chio Chin H si e n ) , thu s 1n co r p o rating him by Imp e rial author~
ity in the Taoist panth e on The Chin e se have g ive n th e ir o wn
.

a d aptation in many instan ce s to t he Buddhistic d e iti e s broug ht

from India The historic Buddha Sakyamuni is re pre se nte d
.
, ,

in t he attitude o f m e ditation se ate d o n a lotus blossom , o r as -

about to e nt e r N irvana wh e n he is r e pre se nte d as t he Sl e e p

,

ing O n e ( O fo ) The b e st known o f the c e l e stial Buddhas is

-
.

O mi t o fo ( Amitabha ) and his nam e is r e cit e d as the b e ads o f

- —
’ -

the ro sary are count e d The Laug hing Buddha ( Maitre ya )

.
, ,

Mi l é fo , is a tut e lary de ity in a class by himse lf Among the

- -
.

Bodhisattvas o r lowe r g rade o f de iti e s the most important is

, ,

Kuan Yin g odde ss o f M e rcy,

A Chin e se l e g e nd make s he r
.

the daug ht e r o f a Kin g who live d in t he se ve nth ce ntury B C , . .

1 96 CH IN E S E M YTH OL OGY
thoug h be fore t he T a ng dynasty this de ity was honoure d as a
’

mal e fi g ure The de ve lopm e nt o f t he wor ship o f Kuan Y in is

.

e ntir e ly d u e to Chin e s e influ e n ce and she may b e ri htly co n

, g
sid e r e d as a Chin e s e d e ity W ith h e r is asso ciat e d anoth e r dis
.

cip l e Ta shih chih and to e th e r th e y ar e plac e d with the his

g
- -

, ,

toric Buddha as a Trinity o f Thre e Holy O n e s ( San Sh éng ) .

Th e re are thre e oth e r not e d discipl e s v iz W én shu ( Man , .

-

j usri ) who u sually ride s o n an e l e phant , P u hsie n who ride s

'
’ -

on a lion and Ti t sang who is the Supre m e R ul e r o f H e ll and

,
-

has unde r him t he t we lve King s o f H e ll In addition to the .

saint s ( L o han ) and patriarchs th e r e ar e t he tut e lary

— ods who
, g
ar e al so adapt e d to Chin e se ide a s O f th e se g ods W e i T o is
.
’

t he b e st known H e is a warrior, with a sword which is som e

.

time s h e ld in his hands and som e tim e s re sts cro sswi se o n t he

arms with the hands fol d e d in praye r Among th e s e tut e lary .

g ods i s also f ound K uan Ti ( K uan Y u ) t h e national g o d o f

war In e ve rything may be s e e n t he moulding influe nce which
.

t h e tra d itiona l customs and b e li e fs o f China have had upon t he

form take n by Chin e se Buddhi sm .

O n e o f t h e b e st illustration s o f the fu sion o f Buddhistic tra

/
‘
d ition with indi g e nou s b e li e fs 13 t he account in t he S lzén H sie n
T i mg C zie ii o f the fe ast give n by the Pe arl E mp e ror, Y ii Ti
’
,

to his asse mbl e d o ffi ce rs whom he wish e d to consult about his

propo se d vi sit to the W e st fo r the purpo se o f studying Bud
d hism Y ii Ti was distinctly an indig e nous cre ation o f t he
.

Chin e se mind but he is al so cove re d ove r with a h e avy laye r o f

,

Buddhistic con ce ptions The place wh e re he asse mbl e d his o ffi

.

ce rs was the Hall o f the Thirty—third H e ave n H e ask e d th e m .

to h e lp him to formulat e plans for a visit to Buddha so that he

mig ht r e ce 1v e 1n stru ctio n from him Th e ir unit e d answe r to .

him contains t he g ist o f the admixture of Buddhist and Taoist

thoug ht which is now so common Th e y said : Eve ry o n e
.
.
,

who throug h se ve n g e n e rations has cultivate d t he principl e s o f

t he Immortals and has not d e viat e d from th e m himse lf b e
, ,
1 98 CH IN E S E M YTH O L OGY
of t he p e opl e to many o f the e x t e rnal obse rvance s o f Buddhist
t e mpl e s it must b e r e me mb e re d that the p e opl e o f China shar e
,

ve ry littl e in t he g e nuin e ide as o f Buddhistic te aching Th e y

.

obs e rve such ce re moni e s a s conform to the g e n e ral principl e s o f

th e ir o wn indig e nous r e lig ion which is re pre se nte d o n t he o ne
hand by the S tat e c e re moni e s, and o n t he oth e r by the traditions
e mbodi e d in Taoism . China cannot be co nside re d as a Bud
d histic natio n.
 C H A P T E R XV I

C R IT I C I S M

H E way o f the propag ators o f myths has not always b e e n

smooth Con fucius said : Althoug h you may r e sp e ot
.

spiritual b e in g s hold th e m at a distanc e This is t he part o f

.
,

wi sd om . This ag no sti c attitude toward e ve rything su p e rn at

ural may be con side re d the ide al o f t he Confucian t e aching ; this
t e a ching e xh aust e d man s duty by circumscribing it within t he
’ ‘

bounds o f t he kn own world .

W ang T un g , 5 8 3 6 1 6 A D , o f the Sui dynasty, was a strong

’ —
. .

oppon e nt of all forms o f myth H e uph e ld the t e aching s o f

.

Con fuciu s and criti cise d Tso ch iu Ming , t he author o f the Co m

-
’

m e ntary o n the S pring and Autumn Annals ( T5 0 Chu an ) ,

/
fo r intro d uc ing so many l e g e nds into his book For th e sam e .

”
re a son he con d e mne d the Hi story ( S hili C i i ) o f SsiI m a
’
-

Ch i e n an d its suppl e m e nt by Pan Ku H e was the first to

’
.

throw di scre d it upon t he tradition o f the F eng Shan ce re mony

having be e n p e r forme d by s e ve n ty two an cie nt E mp e rors be
-

g inning with W u Huai and continuing down throug h the Hsia ,

S han g an d Chow d yna sti e s W an g T ung was a man of uprig ht

.
’

characte r and unusual int e llig e nce At nin e t e e n ye ars o f ag e he

.

ma d e a j ourn e y to t he capital, Ch ang an , and laid b e fore the

’ —

‘
E mp e ror Twe lve Plan s for P e ac e ( i hi li ér
’ ’
t ai p ii g s — -

which we re approve d but pig e on hol e d H e must b e g ive n

-
.

cre dit fo r havin b e n f th first criti of fabl e s but he

g e o ne o e cs ,

was as a voice cryin g in the wilde rn e ss The T ang dynasty .

’
,

whi ch cam e into powe r shortly aft e r W an g T un g s de ath g ave

’ ’
,

no h e e d to his admonito ry writing s althoug h it is said that the

,

Emp e r o r T ai Tsun g h e ld th e m in hig h re sp e ct Th e y did n o t,

’
.
zo o CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
howe ve r ch e ck o r r e strain the g e n e rations which imm e diat e ly
,

suc ce e d e d him from be comin g t he most prolific so urce s o f myths

in the long history o f China .

It was not until the Sun g dynasty that the pion e e r work o f
W ang T un g r e ce ive d du e r e cog nition Ma Tuan lin author
’
.
-

o f W éii H J im T i m K ao
‘
rais e s his work Ma him se l f was
’ ’
g ,p .

an abl e critic H e c anva sse d t he whol e fi e ld o f antiquity with

.

the vi e w of e xpur g ating it o f myths and findin g pre c e de nts fo r

t he b e n e vol e nt auto cra cy in whi ch he b e li e ve d Th e re was a

.

g r e at amount of critical work don e durin g the Sung dynasty,

but non e was o f g r e at e r importance than that o f Ma Tuan lin -
.

Th e mo st bitt e r as we ll as the most amusin g critic o f myths ,

wa s Han Y u 7 6 8 8 2 4 A D o f the T an g dynasty In 8 1 9 he

,
-
. .
,
’
.

was in th e po sition o f Ce n sor wh e n the E mp e ror Hsi e n Tsung

propo se d to pay unusual re sp e ct to o n e o f the fing e r bon e s o f -

Budd ha which had be e n pre s e rve d as a re li c in a t e mple at Fén g

H sian g in Sh e nsi Province This bone was e n clo se d in a case
.

whi ch could only b e op e n e d on ce in thirty ye ars but wh e n ,

op e n e d would bring g r e at pro sp e rity t o t he E mpire The E m .

p e r o r or d e r e d it to b e e scort e d to t h e c apital and op e n e d in t he

palace with e laborat e pomp and ce re mony Following t he e x .

ampl e o f the E mp e ror all classe s of the p e opl e from hig h e st to

low e st o fl e re d g ifts to the r e lic Han Y u Sin g l e hande d o p
.
,
-

po se d the de m o n st rat1o n with a spirit whi ch must b e conside re d

h e roic wh e n the condition s of the tim e s ar e r e m e mbe re d In .

his r e monstrance Han Y u point e d o u t that Buddhi sm is only a

barbari c sup e rstition whi ch was introduce d into China during
th e Han dyna sty . Pre vious to its a rrival the E mp e rors of an
t iq u ity live d to a g ood old ag e the E mpir e was at p e ace and its
,

p e opl e cont e nte d Aft e r this n e w t e aching be g an disorde r and

.
,

ruin followe d in close su cce ssion The E mpir e was brok e n up

.

into small principaliti e s and the dynasti e s w e re o f short dura

tion The more de vot e d the rul e rs we re to Buddhisti c t e aching ,
.

the more disast e r th e y b r o ug ht up on th e ms e lve s and the co u n

2 02 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
p e ro r cam e unde r the influe nce o f t he hate d e unuch , Ch éng ’

Ts ui and sp e n t mo st o f his time s e arching fo r the e lixir o f li fe

’
, .

It is g e n e rally b e li e ve d that t he E mp e ror was poison e d by o ne

o f th e s e potions as was al so his son an d succ e ssor Mu Tsun
, , g .

The calamiti e s ag ain st whi ch Han Y ii had warn e d the E mp e ror

actually cam e to pass during the li fe tim e of this faithful and
-

fe arl e ss Minist e r .

Han Y ii had a de lig htful s e nse of humour along with his

ke e n di scrimination H e issu e d a sol e mn proclamation ag ainst
.

c rocodil e s in t he nam e o f t he Imp e rial pow e r o f whi ch he was

t he lo cal r e pr e se ntative .This was a sly thrust at the ove r

we e nin g complaisan ce o f o fli cials with the whims o f the E m
p e ro r .The proclamation was i ssu e d in 8 2 0 A D and was ad . .

d re s se d to the crocodil e s H e re minde d th e m o f the l e nie nce

.

with whi ch he had tr e at e d th e m S 1n cc he had a ssum e d the offi ce

o f Pr e fe ct . This was in contrast e ve n to what had be e n done
by anci e nt ki ng s who had not h e sitate d to drive o u t all snake s ,

r e ptil e s and poi sonous cr e ature s . It is only be cause this place

is so far from the capital S e at o f Imp e rial powe r that you , croco
dil e s, dare to lurk round in the wate rs o f the coa st wh e re you
plunde r food and propag ate your youn g Howe ve r I am the
.
,

duly appointe d r e pre se ntative o f the all powe rful E mp e ror

-

and am charg e d with the duty o f caring fo r his p e opl e who live
in this di stri ct In my hig h position o f r e spon sibility I shall n o t
.

allow mys e l f to be t e rrorize d by yo u crocodil e s If you have

,
.

any int e llig e nce you will liste n to my words W ithin thre e.

days you ar e commande d to b e take yours e lv e s to the Gre at

O c e an wh e re you will find myriads o f fish upon which yo u can
f e e d I f yo u cannot re a ch a de sirabl e pla ce in thre e days I will
.

e xt e nd the tim e to five O r e ve n s e ve n days but b e yond that

,

p e riod I will not su ffe r your pre se nce in th e se wate rs If you

‘
.

disob e y my commands I will s e l e ct the m o st e x p e rt o f my o fli «

ce r s and m e n and we shall com e with bows and poi son e d arrows
”
with which we shall utte rly e xte rminate yo u r whol e race .
 CR ITICISM 2 03

It is charact e ristic o f t he cre dulity o f the ag e in which Han

Y ii lived that non e o f his cont e mporari e s allowe d th e mse lve s
to comme nt upon thi s pro clamation e xce pt in t e rms which took
it s e riously O n e o f th e m g rave ly re marks that following t he
.

issuing o f th e se ord e rs a V iol e nt storm rag e d fo r s e ve ral days

during whi ch the cro co di l e s we re all dr ive n away Th e re cou l d
.

be no be tte r e vide nce than this o f t he g rip o f occult infl ue nce s

in which the p e opl e o f t he T ang d ynasty we re h e ld
’
.

A similar p e rforman ce to that o f Han Y ii with t he crocodile s

was e na ct e d by H u Yin o f t he Sun g dynasty who d i e d I I 5 1
,

/
/
A D
. . It o ccurre d in this sam e city o f Ch ao chou The Sung
’ —
.

Dynasty History ( S u n g S i i i ) re cord s that wh e n H u Yin was

Pre fe ct o f Ch ao chou he h e ard o f t he myste rious powe rs o f a
’ -

larg e se rp e nt whi ch the p ri e sts claim e d had powe r to control

, ,

th e pro sp e rity o f t he district Form e r incumb e nts o f t he o ffi ce

.

of Pre fe ct had be e n a ccustom e d to pay hi g h re sp e ct to this se r

p e nt but H u Y in de cide d to e xpo se t he falla cious pre te nsion s
,

whi ch we re claim e d fo r it by the pri e sts H e ord e re d it t o b e

.

broug ht to his official r e si d e nce and th e n said to it : If yo u are

a spirit chan g e yourse l f into o n e within thr e e days or at the
, ,
”
e n d o f that tim e I will kill you Th e r e was no transformation
.
,

an d H u Yin carri e d out his thr e at destroy e d t he s e rp e nt and

,

puni sh e d t he de ce it ful prie sts .

Many oth e r similar e xampl e s o f o p p o s1tio n mi g ht be quote d,

but th e y would be lost in the multitude of corroborations o f
miraculous int e rve ntion s with which Chin e s e books ar e crowde d .

As in e ve ry country t he int e llig e nt obj e ctors to sup e rstitious

,

be li e fs form e d a small minority in the ag e in which th e y live d .

It is onl y by su cce e ding g e ne rations that the value o f th e i r

coura g e ous criticism has be e n re co g nize d W ith the g rowth o f
.

mode rn scie ntifi c knowl e dg e th e re will b e a g radual loo se ning

of the hold which th e se b e li e fs have upon t he p e opl e and the ,

work o f the pion e e r critics will be incre asing ly ap p re ciat e d .

 AUT H O R S P REFACE
’

HE purpos e o f this book is n o t to t e ll amusing sto ri e s fo r

t he e nt e rtainme nt o f the curious so much as t o g ive t o t h e
s e ri ous re ade r a g e n e ral vie w of the nature and t he vari e ty o f
Japan e s e myths and folk tal e s Th e re fore the stori e s are told
-
.

as concise ly as po ssibl e and care is always take n to point o u t the

,
'

conn e ction s, conce ptual o r histori cal , that e xist b e twe e n d ifi e r

e n t stori e s
.

A g oo d de al has be e n said about the r e lig ious b e li e fs that

unde rli e t he stori e s fo r the author de e ms the mythop oeic activ
,

ity of the human mind to b e inse parabl e from its re li g ious b e

lie fs H e do e s not, howe ve r, commit himse l f to any con clusion
.

as to t he pr e cis e natur e o f t he conn e ction b e twe e n t h e two o r

,

as t o the priority o f e ith e r ove r t he oth e r .

O n t he oth e r hand the author is fully aware that many an

,

ide a o r story must be trace d to the circumstan ce s o f t he p e opl e s ’

social life , which vari e d with e ach e po ch inth e ir hi story That .

Vi e w o f t he subj e ct has be e n touch e d upon in som e place s,

thoug h n o t so fully as the author would have don e if he had n o t
be e n limite d by the space allowe d Som e thing more will be
.

said conce rning it in the author s Jap an e se A r t in its R e lati o n t o

’

S o cial Life ( to b e publi sh e d by the Marshall Jon e s Company ) .

Many books have b e e n writt e n o n the mytholo g y an d folk

lore o f t he Japane s e but th e y are usually limite d to a p articu
,

lar branch o f the subj e ct o r e ls e th e y aim m e re ly t o e nt e rtain .

The pre se nt book may p e rh aps clai mto be a mor e o r l e ss sys

t e m a tic tre atise o n t he whol e subj e ct That fact the author
‘
.
,

ho p e s, may to a ce rtain de g r e e comp e nsate t he r e ad e r who finds

t he book disappointing ly unamusing .
20 8 AU TH O R S PR E FAC E
’

The auth o r inte nde d to include a chapte r o n the e pic H e i ee

Mo n o gatari b e cause its story bo th the main thre ad and e p i
/
, ,

so d e s, was wide ly r e cit e d by t he rhapsodists and b e cam e t he

,

source o f much lat e r story t e llin g and dramatic writing But

-
.

t he limits o f space o bli g e d t he author to omit t he chapt e r and to

l e ave t he subj e ct to a se parat e publication .

Cordial thanks ar e d u e to the authoritie s o f the Muse um o f

Fine Ar ts Boston throug h who se courte sy mo st o f the illus
, ,

tratio n s have b e e n take n from the wo rks o f art in its posse ssion .

M . A N E SAKI
KA RU IZ AW A, JA P A N ,

Jan u ary, 1 92 7 .
2 I0 I NTR O DUCTI O N
s cholars in this way : the true Japan e se u sually has an oblong
face and an aquilin e nose , t he Chin e se e l e m e nt is se e n in a
flatt e r face an d more promin e nt ch e e k bon e s , an d t he south e rn
-

or Malaysian typ e is marke d by a round dumplin g fa ce and ,

narrow e ye s The pr e dominance o f t he Chin e se fe ature s in

.

t he w e st e rn i sland s is v e ry naturally e xplain e d by t he e a sy

conn e ction by se a b e twe e n that part o f Japan and the mouth o f

the Yan g tz e R ive r
-
.

O n the oth e r hand, the e xiste nce o f a south e rn e l e me nt may

b e d e du ce d from t h e fa ct that t he south e rn parts o f t he w e st e rn
islands are said in l e g e ndary history to have be e n disturbe d
, ,

from tim e to time by turbul e nt inva d e rs from farth e r south

call e d t he Fal con m e n ( Haya to ) and t he B e ar race ( Kuma

“
- - -

so ) It is in thi s part o f the country too chi e fly in t he province

.
,
”
o f Sat suma that p e rsonal nam e s compounde d with b e ar
,

occur mo st fr e que nt ly More ove r the south e rn coa sts o f t he

.

”
i sland Shikoku are rich in such name s as So and so Horse 5
and th e se coasts w e r e naturally the n e are st st e ppin g ston e s fo r -

t he immi g rant s from t he south B e side s th e se pre hi storic ac

.

c re t io n s to t h e population o f t he archip e lag o t he se mi hi stori ca l

,
-

and hi stori cal r e cords fre que ntly m e ntion immig ration s from
China and Kor e a ; and th ese lat e r immig rant s we re a ctive in
di sse minating th e ir more advanc e d civilization throug hout t he ’

islands .

Having said so much fo r the h ypoth e s e s o f mode rn scholars,

2
l e t us se e what th e an ci e nt l e g e nds Of t he p e opl e t e ll us about
th e ir o rig in and th e ir arrival at th e ir pre se nt abode .

The cre ators o f t he islands ar e said to be t wo o f the b e av

e n ly g ods
”
. W e shall h e ar more about th e m wh e n we com e
to conside r the cosmolo gi cal myths O n e o f th e ir childr e n was
.

the Sun g odd e ss, who rul e d the unive r se hi g h in H e ave n and
-

b e cam e the pro g e nitrix o f the ruling family o f Japan O nce

in Aug ust the Sun g odde s s looke d do w
.

-
n toward the Middl e
”
Land wh e re Re e ds Grow Luxuri antly, i e the Japan e se . .
 I NTR O DU CTI O N 2I I

archipe lag o ; she saw that the country was disturbe d by variou s
e vil spirit s an d t hat th e y riot e d and surg e d like blue “
”
bottl e fl ie s . S he se nt warn 1n g m e ssag e s to th e se e vil spirit s ,

an d l at e r se ve ral punitive e xp e dition s w e r e d i sp at ch e d a g ain st

th e m and t he e arthly g ods who finally surr e n d e re d th e ir lan d s

,
”
to the h e ave nly g ods A m Oh g tho se who w e re thuss ubdue d
.

we re the de sce n dant s o f the S torm g o d a broth e r o f th e Sun

-

odd e ss who rul e d t he coast s o f t he S e a o f Japan oppo sit e t h e

g , ,

e a st e rn coa sts o f Kor e a .

A ft e r the way had thus b e e n pave d the Su n g odde ss se nt ,

-

h e r g randson down to t he i slands in o rde r to ru l e t h e country

,
”
fo r e te rnity . Th e party r e ach e d th e i sland o f Tsu k u shi
( mode rn Kyu shu ) at t he summit o f a hig h p e ak an d se ttl e d ,

d own in t h e r e g ion o f H im u k ai ( t he lan d facing t he sun

o n the Pa c ifi c c oa st o f t h e w e st e rn i sland A s a matte r o f fa ct.

that re gi on is rich in o ld mounds whi ch ar e now b e in g e x ,

cavat e d ,
and a g re at many int e r e stin g r e lics o f pre hi stori c
antiquity ar e b e ing broug ht to lig ht .

From the r e g ion Fa cing the Su n the wave s o f mig ration

and conque st swe pt e astward along the coa sts o f the Inland
,

S ea The obj e ctive was t he ce ntral r e g ion known a s Yamato

3
, ,
.

whi ch was finally r e ach e d by Jimmu T e nno t he l e g e ndary ,

foun d e r o f t he Imp e rial d ynasty H e r e ag ain t he conqu e rors

“
.

”
e n count e re d t he re sistance o f the E arth spide rs the —
,
” ”
E ig hty o wl s
— the
,
Long l e gg e d fe llow, the
- -
Fury
”
g iant s
,
e t c 5 but th e r e we r e o n th e ir S ide it is said oth e r s wh o
.
, ,

be lon g e d to t he sam e tribe as the conque rors and who had

e arli e r se ttl e d down in t h e ce ntral r e ion In th battl s t he
g e se e .

d e sce nda nts o f t he S u n g Od de ss w e re once de fe at e d be cause

-

th e y foug ht facin g the su n and th e r e aft e r th e y foug ht with the

,

sun at th e ir backs In t he e n d the solar de sce n d ants we r e v ic

.
,

t o rio u s and th e y s e t tl e d in t h e r e gi on o f Yamato whi c h r e

main e d the s e at o f Imp e rial re side n ce up to the e n d o f the

e ig hth c e ntury Th e principal sto ck o f t he Japan e se r e p r e
.
,
2 12 I N TR O DUCTI O N
s e nt e d by the de sce ndants o f th e se conque rors is th e re fore ,

calle d the Yamato ra ce .

W hat e ve r t he mythical sig nific ance or hi storical value o f

th e se stori e s may b e t he Yamato race always be li e ve d in its
,

de sce nt from H e ave n and worshipp e d the S u n g odde ss as the -

an ce stre ss o f the ruling family if n o t o f all the p e opl e Th e y

, .

also e nde avour e d to force this be li e f o n t he subj u ate d p e opl e s

g ,

and partly succe e de d in impre ssing th e m with that and oth e r

asso ciat e d ide as Th e se l e g e nds and be li e fs, to g e th e r with t he
.

accompanyin g r e li g ious practic e s make up the orig inal re l i g 1on

,
'

o f t he Yamato ra ce ,
now kn own as Shinto , o f which we shall
pr e s e ntly sp e ak furth e r The anci e nt r e cords o f Shinto w e re
.

compil e d e arly in t he e ig hth ce ntury, fo r t he pu rpo se o f con

firming the c e l e stial orig in o f t he Yamato race and p e rp e tuating
t he hi story o f that p e opl e Th e y contain cosmolog ical myths
.

and l e g e n d ary histori e s c hi e fly drawn fro m oral tradition but

, ,

modifi e d by Chin e se ide as and a g re at de al o f folk lore is also

,
—

e mbroid e r e d o n t he l e g e nds o f t he rac e for the Japan e s e have

,

always r e ve re n ce d an ce str al traditions o f any sort Th e se o fli .

cial r e cords o f S hinto contain t he chi e f sto ck o f anci e nt mythol

o g y and th e y have b e e n k e pt comparative ly fr e e from t he

,
‘

fore ig n influ e nce s which in late r ye ars had so mu ch e ffe ct o n

, ,

Japane se lite rature and art .

N aturally th e p e opl e s prop e n sity to t e ll stori e s and to u se

,
’

m yt ho p oe ically th e ir o wn ide as about natural and so cial p he

mom e na adde d muc h mythi c mat e rial t o that found in t he o fli
cial r e cords . Som e o f it , no doubt, was introduce d by immi
ra nts from oth e r lands and w as th e r e for e for e i g n to t he
g
ori g inal t raditions o f t he race W e shall not make any positive
.

asse rtions about the ra cial charact e r or innate in clination “

o f t he p e opl e as mani fe st e d in th e ir nativ e ide as or imag e ry .

Y e t no o n e can d e ny that di ffe r e nt p e opl e s S how cl e arly d iEe r

e n t m e ntal and spiritual traits in vi e wing th e ir o wn li fe and in

re acting t o ward th e ir e nvironm e nt The natural fe ature s and .

2 14 I NTR O DUCTI O N
The susce ptibility o f the p e opl e s mind to th e ir surroundin g s
’

is shown in the e arly g rowth o f a po e try in which th e y sang t he

be auty o f nature and the patho s o f human li fe o f love and o f ,

war That e arly po e try is simpl e in form an d nai ve in se nti

.

m e nt ye t it is touching and de licat e The p e opl e fe lt in b ar

, .
;

mony with the chang ing a sp e cts o f nature e xhibit e d in t he p he

,

n o m e n a o f t h e se ason s in the vari e ti e s o f t he flora in t he

, ,

c onc e rts o f sin in

g g birds o r in se cts Th e ir se ntim e nt toward na
.

ture was always e xpre sse d in t e rms o f human e motions, thing s

o f natur e w e re p e rsonifi e d as m e n w e re r e pr e s e nt e d as l iv in
'

, g in
th e h e art o f n ature . Man and nature we re so clos e to e ach
oth e r that the p e r sonifi e d ph e nom e na w e r e n e v e r totally dis
so ciat e d from th e ir natural ori g inals This circumstan ce has
.

o fte n b e e n misint e rpre t e d by W e ste rn obse rve rs who de clare ,

that the Japan e se lac k the p e rsoni fying powe r o f imag ination .

But the truth is that the de g re e o f p e rsonifi cation is no t so

c ompl e t e as it is in Gr e e k mytholo g y, and that t he imag inatio n

n e v e r w e nt so far as to ob scur e its source in t he actual physi cal

world .

It is al so tru e that the Japan e se myths and stori e s ar e not so

w e ll conn e ct e d and syst e matize d as th e y are with t he Aryan
p e opl e s Th e r e is in Japan e s e mytholog y a ce rtain cycl e o f
.

cosmolog ica l ide as, but the links ar e oft e n mi ssing and many
sin g l e stori e s re main quit e disso ciat e d Li g htn e ss o f touch is
.

c haract e ri stic o f Japan e se imag ination and r e adin e ss in im p r o

,

vising is no l e ss con spi cuou s The care ful in siste n ce on t he

.

o fficial a ccount o f t he an ce stry o f t he p e opl e may se e m to

confli ct with the lack o f syst e m th at app e ars e l se wh e re , and
Buddhist influ e n ce ce rtainly modifi e d t he p e culiar characte r
istics which de t e rmin e d the mytholo g y o f the rac e Yet .

Buddhism was adapt e d by t he Japan e se t o th e ir own m e ntal

disposition and the g re at syst e m o f Buddhi st mytholog y was
,

broke n up into sing l e tal e s o r broug ht down to the humbl e r

l e ve l o f act ual human e xp e ri e nce D e licat e , imag inative , pl e as
.
 I NTR O DUCTI O N 2I 5

in g , but ne ve r lofty se n sitive but sc arce ly p e n e tratin g so we

, ,

may charact e rize the t e mp e ram e nt o f the p e opl e as mani fe ste d

in th e ir mytholog y an d po e try art and music In conse que n ce
,
.

o f th e se trait s th e r e is a la ck o f tra g ic str e n g th in th e ir mythol

o gy . Th e y have no ide a o f a tre me ndous catastroph e o f the

world ; the co nflicts t hat o ccur almo st n e ve r e n d in sublim e ‘

trag e dy but in a compromise E ve n t he trag e di e s found in

.
'

t he lat e r ta l e s and drama s ar e chara ct e riz e d by t he mourn ful

submis sion o f t he h e ro e s and only e x ce ptionally by t he c onflict

,

o f a de moniac will with fat e This may b e partly owing to t he

.

mild influ e n ce o f the land and t he c limat e but it is larg e ly t he ,

re sult o f the te mp e ram e nt o f t he p e opl e as we shall se e if we ,

conside r th e ir native re lig iou s ide a s

“
.

The primitiv e r e li g ion o f the p e opl e is call e d Shinto whi ch ,

m e ans the W ay o f the Gods o r Spirits ” ”

Thi s b e li e f .

amounts to an animisti c V i e w o f the worl d a sso ciate d with t he ,

tribal cult o f the clan de itie s The word animi sm is u se d h e re

.

to m e an the doctrin e that t he thin g s o f natur e a r e animat e d like

o urs e lve s e ithe r by a soul o r by a p e culiar kind o f vitality
, .

S e e in g the worl d in this lig ht t he Japan e se u se d to r e v e r e any

,

thing wh e th e r a natural o bj ec t o r a human be ing that se e m e d

, ,

to mani fe st an unusual powe r or be auty E v e ry o n e o f th e se .

obj e cts o r b e ing s is call e d a k am i a d e ity o r spirit N atur e is

,
.

inhabite d by an infinite ho st o f th e se de itie s and spirits and ,

human li fe is always clo se ly asso ciate d with th e ir thoug hts and

actions The g e nius o f an awe in spiring m ountain is call e d the
.
-

de ity o f the mountain ; it may at t he sam e time b e r e g arde d as

t h e pro g e nitor o f t he trib e whi ch inhabits t he foot o f t he moun

tain o r if n o t t he a n ce stor it may at l e ast b e invoke d as t he

, , ,
'

tute lary g o d o f the tribe .

Th e re for e the S hinto re lig ion is a combination o f nature

worship an d anc e stor cult and in mo st case s t he natur e myth
-

,
-

is in se parabl e from the sto ry con ce rning t he an ce stral de ity an d

from his worship be cause the cur iosity to know the orig ins o f
,
2I 6 I NTR O DUCTI O N
thing s works a s strong ly toward the physical wo rld as toward
on e s o wn individual and social li fe That is the re ason why
’
.

S hinto traditions combine t he simpl e po e try o f n atur e with

philo sophic sp e culation s about the orig in s o f thing s Th e se .

two a sp e cts o f S hinto are in e xtricably ming l e d in t he e xistin g

c ommunal cults and th e y hav e g iv e n ri se to many local l e g e nds

and myths In th e se stories fan cy playe d a part but n e ve r t o

.
,

the e xclu sion o f e arn e st r e li g iou s b e li e f Thi s is the cause o f

.

t h e curious t e na city o f th e Shinto l e g e nds among the p e opl e .

The most import ant fore i g n infl u e nce that re ach e d Japan ,
ce rtainl y so far a s r e lig ion art and lit e ratur e ar e conc e rn e d was
, ,

that o f Bu d dhism In the domain o f mytholog y Buddhism

.

introdu ce d into Japan a g r e at de al o f the Hindu imag ination ,

whi ch is cha ra ct e rize d by g rand e ur o f scal e by richn e ss o f ,

imag e ry by lo fty flig hts o f fan cy Buddhist lite rature , im

,
.

port e d into Japan and w e l com e d by the p e opl e b e long ed to ,

t he branc h o f Buddhi sm kn own a s Mah ayana , o r t he Broade r

Communion In tho se books an infinit e numbe r o f Buddha
.

lands or para d i se s is said to e xist, and e ach of th e m is d e

, ,

scribe d in g org e ous and fan ci ful lang uag e In a paradi se th e re

.

ar e ave nu e s o f tre e s d e corat ed with j e w e ls ponds full o f lotus

,

flowe rs birds S ing in g p e rp etually in conce rt with t he music

,

playe d by ce l e stial be ing s The air is fill e d with miraculous

.

sce nts and the e arth is pave d with pr e ciou s ston e s In nu m e r .

abl e vari e ti e s o f ce l e stial be in g s Buddhas s aints, ang e ls and

, ,

de iti e s inh abit th ese paradis e s W h e n a larg e numbe r is r e

.

/
”
fe rre d to it is spo ke n o f as billion s o f myriads ( leo ti m a ta
’ '

a saii k z a ) A long tim e is de scribe d thus : Suppo se you g rind

y .

th e g r e at thou s and of worlds into fi n e du st and brin

g e ach
o ne o f t he particl e s to o n e o f t he innum e ra bl e worlds scatte re d

ove r the vast cosmos ; the tim e r e quire d fo r that e ndl e ss task
will p e rh aps compare to the numbe r o f the world p e riods passe d -

by Buddha in his work .

No t only did t he lofty fli g hts o f Buddhistic imag ination e x

2I 8 I NTR O DU CTI O N
continuity o f life p e r vad ing all e xist e n ce s thi s t e aching in
S pir e d t h e J apan e se with a broad sympathy toward th e ir fe llow

be in g s and surroundin g n ature The re lig ious ide al o f Bud

.

d hism con sist e d in re alizin g in thoug ht this truth o f the on e n e ss

o f e xist e nc e and in living a li fe o f the broade st sympathy
, .

S e e n in this li g ht t he un ive rse is only a sta g e o f S piritual com

munion , and nothing in it is outside the pal e of clos e f e llowship .

This fundam e ntal t e achin g an d ultimat e ide al we re , more

ove r broug ht clos e r to o u r li fe o f sympathy by the t e aching o f
,

karma which m e ant the bond o f moral causation According

, .

to that doctrin e the prese nt li fe is to be vi e we d as o n e link in

t he e ndl e ss chain o f moral causation 5 on e s pr e s e nt li fe is d e
’

to de te rmin e t he li fe tha t is to com e That is the s e rial

.
“
t e r m ine d by t he qualiti e s o f on e s o wn past d e e d s and is de stin e d

continuity o f o u r e xist e nce 5 in addition th e re is a collate ral

continuity .

That e xpre ssio n m e ans that the individual life is n o t an iso

lat e d produ ct o f on e s o wn karm a but plays always a part in
’

o n e broad common d e stiny, e nj oy e d o r su f fe r e d to g e th e r with

on e s fe llow b e ing s
’ -
E ve n tou chin g o f sl e e ve s be twe e n t wo
.

p e rsons, as if by m e re chan ce , is a r e sult o f the karma that

”
c o nn e cts t he two This se ntim e nt is fe lt in e ve ry hum an
.

re lation Pare nts and childr e n hu sband and wi fe , and o th e r

.
,

l e ss clos e re lationships are mani fe stations o f t he continuity that

p e rsists throug h li fe and may p e rsist far into the future .

No t only human r e lation ship s but t he physical surrounding s

o f on e s life ar e also conn e ct e d by t he sam e tie o f karma If
’
.

a Bud d hi st s e e s a butt e rfly flyin g amon g flowe rs o r a de w drop,

-

g litt e rin g o n t h e l e af of a lotus plant h e ,

b e li e v e s that t he

c onn e ction and t he af finity that e xi st b e twe e n th e se obj e cts are

fundam e ntally like t he links that bind human b e in g s in th e ir
li fe re lations That we e nj oy t he j oyous sing in g o f nig ht
.

ing al e s among t he plum blo ssoms Is o wm g to t he n e c e ssity o f

—

”
the karm a that conn e cts u s with th e se cr e ature s .
 I NTR O DUCTI O N 2 19

In suc h a panth e i stic re ligi on th e r e was always a stron g in ce n

tive to the play o f po e tic fancy; as we ll as a con stant urg e toward
clo se sympathy with on e s fe llow b e ing s and on e s physi cal
’ ‘
— ’

e nvironm e nt .Buddha him se l f according to the In d ian tal e s ,

,

e xp e ri e n ce d in his countl e ss re inc arnations an infinit e vari e ty o f

animal live s So all his followe rs may have had such e x p e ri

.

e nce s and many stori e s t e ll how t h e narrator liv e d on ce as a

,

bird and us e d to S in g among flow e rs , whos e spirit lat e r b e cam e

his wi fe .

As Buddhi sm stimulat e d 1m ag 1nat1o n to dwe ll o n the ti e s

that conn e ct our l i fe wi th oth e r e xi st e nce s Taoi sm suppli e d
,

add itional mate rial fo r fant a stic stori e s about t he sup e rnatural .

Taoism re pr e se nt e d t he po e t i c g e nius and romantic t e n d e ncy o f

~

the Yutzu Vall e y Chin e se in c o ntrast to t he practical and sob e r

traits o f t he no rth e rn Chin e se r e pr e se nt e d by Confu ciani sm

,
.

It laid a sp e cial emph asis on t he n e ce ssity o f r e turning to na

tur e by whi ch it unde rstoo d a li fe fre e d from all human fe t
,

t e rs so cial c onve ntions an d moral r e lation ships Its id e al

,
.

con si st e d in attainin g throug h p e rsi st e nt trainin g a li fe in co m

munion with the h e art o f n ature fe e din g on e se l f with ambro

,

sial d e w d rop s inhalin g mi st s and c o smi c e th e r

—
,
”
. Th e Taoi st
who attain e d thi s id e al condition was call e d a S e nnin o r Man
”
o f t h e mount ain and was suppo se d to roam fre e ly in the air
,

an d to live an immo rtal li fe .Th e ide a l o f immortal e x i st e n ce

was o ft e n combin e d with t he Buddhi st ide al o f p e r fe ct e m an ci
p atio n from human passion s and thi s r e lig ion o f naturalistic
,

mysticism was t he natural sour ce o f many imag inary t al e s o f

m e n or sup e rm e n who live d in the h e art o f natur e and p e r
form e d th e ir mira culous a chi e ve m e nts by virtu e o f th e ir re
l ig io u s m e rit .

B e side s the miracl e s a scrib e d to th e s e Me n o f the moun

”
tains som e Of t he mo st popular p e rso n ificatio ns o f natural
,

obj e cts o we th e ir ori g in to a combination o f Taoist be li e fs with

Buddhist naturalism , re pr e se nte d by the Z e n school W e shall .
2 20 I NTR O DUCTI O N
me e t with o n e o f t he instance s in the story o f the Mountain
”
Maid .

The physi cal surrounding s o f the Japan e s e and t he r e lig ious

i nflu e nc e s whi ch have be e n me ntion e d we re favourable to an
opul e nt g r o wth o f tal e and l e g e nd in which t he ph e nom e na o f
natur e we re p e rsonifi e d and imag inatio n playe d fre e ly Y e t .

th e re was o n e count e racting force and that was Con fucianism

, .

The t e aching s o f Con fucius we re rationalistic and his e thics ,

t e nde d t o stifl e human imagi nation and to limit human activity

to t he sph e re o f civic li fe Althoug h the influe nce o f Co n
.

fu cian id e as in anci e nt Japan was limit e d to social and civic

institutions th e se ide as could n o t but disco urag e t he de ve lop
,

m e nt o f folk lore and ima g inative cr e ations Th e r e had be e n

-
.

myths and l e g e nds in anci e nt China but Confucius scorn e d ,

th e m and made th e m ridiculous The Confucian lite rati in

.

Japan in turn looke d with cont e mpt upon folk lore and similar -

romantic tal e s E sp e cially during t he thre e hundre d ye ars

.

be twe e n the se ve nte e nth an d the nin e te e nth ce nturi e s the co m ,

p l e t e s way o f Con f ucian e thics as t h e m o ral standard o f t he

ruling class e s was a g re at hindrance to t he natural de ve lopm e nt

o f t he 1m ag 1n at1v e pow e r of t he race N e ve rth e l e ss t he anci e nt
6
.

traditions we re pr e se rve d among t he p e opl e and th e r e is in

Japan a stock o f myth and l e g e nd which rivals that o f any oth e r
nation .

In co n side ring the mytholog y and folk lore o f the Japan e se ,-

it is co nve nie nt to divide the storie s into four classe s Th e se .

class e s are ( )
I cosmolo g i c al myths and stori e s o f ori g ins or ,

e xplanato r y myths ; ( 2 ) products o f th e imag ination , i e fairy . .

tale s and similar flig hts of fancy ; 3) the play o f romantic in

te r e st in human li fe , i e romantic love stori e s and h e roic tal e s ,
. .

(4 ) stori e s told fo r th e ir m o ral l e s sons or thos,

e whi ch may

be int e rpre t e d as implyin g morals fabl e s o r didactic stori e s,

7
tog e th e r with humour and s atire .
222 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
sis of Shinto conce ption was modifi e d by the Buddhist con
the
ce p tio n o f c ausal tran sformation an d th e latt e r was S imply
,

e xt e nd e d in the popular mind by a loo se r ide a o f c au sation .

In t he e n d the co m bination o f th e se two conce ptions ma de uni

ve rsal the be lie f that e ve ryt hing is e ndowe d with an innate
vitality and chan g e s within itse l f as we ll as throug h e xte rnal
,

circum stan ce s The appli cation of this ide a to all e xist e nce s
.

g ive s u s t he k e y not e to all Jap an e se myths and tal e s

-
.

1
In the b e g innin g as the an ci e nt r e cords of S hinto t e ll us,
,

th e re was chao s, like an o ce an o f o il O ut o f the prime val c haos.

g r e w som e thin g like th e sprout o f a r e e d It prove d to b e a .

de ity who was call e d t he E t e rnal R ulin g Lord , and tog e th e r

— —
2

with him w e r e g e n e rat e d t wo de itie s call e d r e sp e ctive ly t he

,

Hig h Producin g g o d and t he Divin e Produ cing g odde ss

- — — —
.
8

W e are not e xp li citly told that th e se two we re husband and

wi fe ye t most probably th e y w e r e so conce ive d At any rat e
,
.

th e se thr e e are r e g arde d as the orig inal triad in the g e n e ration

o f g ods m e n and thin g s
,
But almo st nothin g furth e r is h e ard
.

about th e m e xce pt that some clan s claim e d de sce nt from o n e

,

o r anoth e r o f th e m and that t he Hig h Pro d u cin g g o d som e - -

tim e s app e ars b e hind the S u n g odde ss a s if he w e re he r n o u

-

m e non o r associat e .

The prim e val triad is follo we d by a se ri e s of g ods and g o d

de ss e s who se e m t o be thoug ht o f as c oupl e s and we re probably
,

p e r so n ificat io n s o f g e rminating pow e r s such as mud, vapour ,

”
and se e ds All th e se are said to have hidde n th e m se lve s,
.

i e di e d but not a ft e r t he fashion o f human mortality Aft e r

. .
,
.

a su cce ssion o f th e se spontan e ous g e n e rations and d i sapp e ar

a n ce s a c oupl e app e ar e d who w e r e d e stin e d to g e n e rat e many
,

thing s and many important g ods Th e y we r e th e Mal e who .

—

invit e s ( Izanag i ) and t he Fe mal e who invite s ( Izan - -

ami ) and we must l e arn more about th e m

,
4
.

The two de iti e s w e r e se nt down to t he world by command

o f the c e l e sti al d e iti es in o rde r to bring forth thing s o n e arth .
 PL A T E V II
T H E PR I M E VA L C O U P L E

Izanag i d Iz an a n am i t n d in g i n
, s a t he l
c ou ds an d
r ating i land
c e an s ou t o f t he se a -
wa te r . Se e pp . 2 22

2 23 .

By Y e il a k u l, a d e rn g e n r e p a nte r
m o i . In p o sse s

i n
so o f Mu se u m o f F n e A rt s, Bo sto n
i .
 C O SM O L O GICAL MYTHS 223

The y de sce nde d from th e ir hom e by the Floating Bridg e o f

”
The mal e de ity g rop e d throug h space with his
5
He ave n .

swor d , and t he drop s o f salt wate r dripping from t h e tip o f t h e

sword coag ulate d th e m se lve s into a littl e i sl e t call e d O no ,

” 6
koro i e ,
.S e l f c oag ulating
.
—
Upo n that th e y lande d and
.

we re marri e d aft e r th e y had gOne round the isl e t in oppo site

,

dire ctions and m e t at the farth e r sid e The first chil d born .

to th e m was a miscarrie d cre ature like a j e lly fish on account ,

-

o f a mi sde m e anour o f th e g odd e ss during t he we dding c e r e

mony That child w

. as thrown into th e wat e r Th e re a ft e r th e y .

be g ot many thing s o r de itie s such as t he se a t he wat e rfall s

, , , ,

t he wind t he wo od t h e mountain the fi e ld e t c

, ,
It was by the , ,
.

powe r o f the W ind g o d that the prim e val haze was disp e rse d
-

an d thing s stood forth di stinctly A fte r the birth o f th e se and .

m any oth e r de iti e s , includin g the islan d s o f t he Japan e s e archi

p e lag o ( and, a cc ording to o n e ve rsion , also the rul e rs o f t he
unive rs e the sun , t he moon and the storm ) t he birth o f t he
, ,

g ods o f fir e prove d fatal t o t he g odd e ss Iza nami H e r d e ath ,

.

was n o t unlike that o f a human be in g from a fe ve r and it m ay ,

b e call e d t he first instanc e o f human mortality Afte r de ath .

’
she de sce nde d into H a de s .

Th e de ath o f t he moth e r g odde ss is the b e g inning o f t he

antith e si s b e twe e n life and de ath and o f oth e r cycl e s o f similar
,

contrasts, like that o f lig ht and darkn e ss, o f o rde r and atro city,
e t c.

The g odd e ss I zanami di e d and de sce nde d t o t he Japane se

Hade s Yo m o tsu kuni
, t he Land o f Gloom
-
H e r hus
band Izanag i like O rph e us followe d he r to he r subte rran e an
, ,

abode The g odde ss a ske d him not t o look at he r Y e t b e ing

. .
,

e ag e r to se e he r th e husband li g ht e d a littl e torch and, in the

,

darkn e ss o f the pit be h e ld the ug ly, de caying fi g ure o f the

,

g odde ss She was ang ry at he r husban d s disob e di e nce an d

.
’
,

wishing to punish him by imprisoning him to o in the Land o f

Gl oo m, she pursu e d him as he fl e d She call e d tog e th e r all .
2 24 J AP ANE S E MYTH O L O GY
t he furi e s ( Shik o m é t he ug ly fe male s , and g hosts o f the
place and th e y n e arly caug ht him but he thre w be hind him t he
, ,

wild g rap e s and bamboo shoots that g re w o n his comb, and

t he furi e s stay e d to e at the fruits A fte r s e ve ral narrow e s .

cap e s and e xtraordina ry e xp e ri e nce s, t he mal e de ity succe e de d

in re aching the boundary be twe e n Hade s and t he t e rre strial
world The furi e s and g hosts n o long e r pursu e d him but t he
.
,

fe mal e d e ity cam e as far as t he pass into the world Th e re .

t he husband lift e d a larg e rock and blocke d u p t he ap e rtur e

that l e d to t he u p p e r world .

Th e n sai d t he g odde ss in furious a ng e r H e n oe fo r th I

re alm The g o d answe re d :

.
“
shall cause to d ie e ve ry day o ne thousand o f thy p e opl e in thy
”
Th e n I shall g ive birth to o n e
thousand an d fiv e hundr e d e ve ry day .

Th e t wo de iti e s thus cam e to a final bre ach , and from

that day the births and de at hs in thi s world are kept at t he
proportion nam e d Throug h this bre ach b e twe e n t he ori g i
.

nal c oupl e who had g e ne rate d all thing s in the world cam e
the division o f the world b e twe e n li fe and d e ath Let .

u s se e ho w this antithe sis is d e ve lop e d in a furth e r mythic

cycl e .

W h e n the mal e de ity succe e de d in e scaping capture by t he

spirits o f darkn e ss an d de ath , h e purifi e d himse l f a ccording to ,

t he anci e nt cu stom in a str e am The pollutions o ccas1o n e d by

,
.

his cont act with de ath in the Land o f Gloom we re wash e d

away o n e by o n e From th e s e stain s came o u t various spirits
.

o f e vil and also spirits o f prote ction a g ainst ill t he de iti e s o f

“
,

rapids o f W hirlpools e tc The last born we re t he Sun g odde ss

, ,
.
-

,
”
th e H e ave n illuminating D e ity ( Ama te rasu ) , o u t of the
- -

Fath e r g od s l e ft e ye t he Moon g o d the Guardian o f the

-
’ -

M o onlig ht Nig ht ( Tsu ki yo mi ) o u t o f t he rig ht e ye 5 and

- -

the Storm g o d the -

Swift imp e tuous D e ity ( Susa no wo ) ,
,
- - -

o u t o f his nostrils O f the thre e the Moon g o d dwindl e d into

.
-

insig n ifican ce and the two othe rs now be gan th e ir cont e st .

226 JAPA NE SE MYTH O L O GY
"
Yasu he e xplain e d that he had not com e with mischi e vous
.
,

d e sig n s but sim ply to say fare we ll to his si st e r be fore g oing to

his moth e r s r e alm ’
In orde r to t e sti fy to the mutual co n fi
.

de n ce thus e st ablish e d, th e y ag re e d to e xchang e th e ir posse s

sion s and th e r e by to b e g e t childr e n .

The Sun g odde ss g ave he r j e we ls to he r broth e r, and t he

—

S torm g o d g av e h e r his swor d

-
Both o f th e m drank from
.

the h e ave nly w e ll in the rive r basin and put I n to th e ir mouths

—

t h e thing s th e y had e xchang e d O ut o f the sword in the mouth

.

o f t he Su n g odd e ss c am e fort h t h e g o d de ss o f rapids and whirl

—

pools and finally a spl e n d id b o y whom S h e nam e d he r b e love d

,

so n. O ut o f t he j e we l s in the Storm g od s mo uth , w e r e pro

-
’

d u ce d th e g ods o f lig ht and vitality .

S o e n d e d t he e ncount e r on t he banks o f t he Yasu R ive r with

e vide nc e s o f mutual c onfid e nc e , whi ch how e ve r , prove d only ,

t e mpo ra ry .

In spit e o f th e ir unde rstanding t he S torm g o d did not ce ase

,
— .

his outrag e ous conduct H e we nt so far as to d e stroy the ri ce

.

fie l d s built by t he Su n g odde ss and to pollute h e r holi e st o b

—

se rv an ce s Aft e r th e se unbe arabl e o ffe n ce s n o t only ag ain st

.

h e r but ag ain st the holy c e re moni e s she had in stitut e d

'

t he S u n g o d de ss h id h e rse l f from he r atro ciou s broth e r in a

-

h e ave nly cave The sour ce o f lig ht d isapp e ar e d t he who l e

.
,

world b e came dark, and e v il spirits ran riot throug hout the
world .

No w e i g ht millions o f g ods e mbarra sse d and con fu se d ,

,

asse mbl e d in front o f the cave , and con sult e d among th e m

se lve s ho w t he lig ht mig ht b e r e stor e d A s t he r e sult o f th e ir
.

consultation , many thing s o f div in e e ffi cacy w e r e produ ce d such ,

as mirrors swords and cloth o ffe ring s Tre e s we re se t up and

, ,
.

de co rat ed with j e we ls ; co cks we re broug ht that th e y mig ht

"

ke e p up a p e rp e tual crowin g ; bonfire s w e r e lig ht e d , and a

9
dance was p e rform e d by a g odde ss call e d U zu m e with m e rry ,

musical accompanim e nt The curious dance o f U zu m e so

.
 PLA TE VIII
G O DD E SS R E APP EAR I N G F R O M T H E
-

TH E SU N -

H E A V EN L Y C A V E I N FR O N T O F W H I C H T H E G O DS
,

ARE TR Y I N G T o I N D U C E H ER To C O M E O U T B Y
ME A N S O F C H A R M S A N D A D A N C E
O n t h e l e ft s id
ands t he s k k i tre e o n whi ch a
e st a a

m i rr o r j w ls n d str in g s a r e han g i ng
,
e e a T he d n c e r . a

is U z m e ( c f Plate XX III ) w h we ars a c u ri o u s

u . o

dr ss t o g th r w i th stag h o rn m o ss wh i ch is u se d as
e ,
e e ,

a c h rm Sh danc e s on a fl at tu b p t u p si d do wn
a . e

B si d th e tu b th re a re c oc ks th
e e l on g si ng ing
e
,
e
“
u e .

bi rds o f the Et rnal Land O n e g o d on the ri ght

”
e .

si d e is ra i si n g a m i rr o r a si gn o f sym p ath e t i c m ag i c
,

t o w l c om e t h su n whi l e oth r g o ds r
e e ,
ngag d i n e a e e e

o
p n i ng the He a v e nly C av e
e T h Su n g o dd ss is e e
-
.

re p re sente d as a yo u n g la dy w earing j e w e ls n he r ,
o

breast Se e p 2 2 6 an d c f A sto n s Shi t p p 100

. .
, .
’
n o
,
.

10 1 .

The p i ctu re is by Y e itak u , a m ode rn g e nr e

pa int r
e .
 C O S M O L O GICAL MYTH S 227

amuse d all the asse mbl e d g ods that th e ir laug ht e r fill e d t he air
‘

and made t he e arth tre mbl e .

Th e Sun g o d de ss in t he cave he ard the m e rry nois e an d was

— .

curious t o know what was g oing on outside N o soon e r had

.

S h e op e n e d an ap e rtur e o f t he cav e and p e e p e d out than a ,

powe rful g o d wid e ne d the ope nin g and dr e w he r o u t by force ,

whil e the oth e r g ods pre ve nte d he r from Slippin g back into t he
cave . Thus t he Sun g odde s s re app e are d The uni ve rs e was
— .

on ce more brig htly illuminat e d e vil vanish e d like haze and

, ,

orde r and p e ace pr e vail e d o n e arth W h e n t he Su n g odde ss

.
—

r e app e ar e d t he e i g ht millio n d e iti e s j oin e d in j oyful tumult

-

an d th e ir happy laug ht e r p e rvade d t h e unive rs e This is t he .

c h e e r ful climax o f t h e whol e cycl e o f t he c o sm o lo g ical myth

'

and it is an int e r e stin g fact that in mo d e rn tim e s part s o f

Hayd n s Crea ti o n have be e n a dapte d to the choral s ong s which

’

de scribe thi s sce ne .

Pe rhaps this e pisode orig inally re pr e se nt e d the r e app e aran ce

o f li g ht and warmth a fte r a g re at storm o r a ft e r a total e clips e

o f t h e Su n But the compil e rs o f t he mytholo g i cal r e cords had

.

al so 1n mi nd an e xaltation o f the supre me rul e o f the Imp e rial

ance str e ss thre ate n e d fo r a time with dang e r from a usurp e r,
,

t he victory o f ord e r and p e a ce ov e r b arb ar isni o f t h e Imp e rial ,

g ove rnm e nt ove r r e b e llious traitors Althoug h th e re is e ve ry

.

re ason to b e li e ve that th e r e was a pure ly n atural backg round

fo r the myth o f t he Sun g odde ss and t he S torm g o d, t he S hin
- -

to ists have int e r pre t e d it a s a histori cal r e cord ce le brating ,

the triumph o f t he Imp e rial rul e N o r 13 this int e rpre tation

.

wholly de voi d o f truth if we conside r that we have to de al with

a myth o f natural ph e nome na combin ed with a ra ce vi e w o f -

/ /
s o cial li fe a mixture in short o f what G e rman scholars call
,

Na tnr ni yt i ns and Kn lt nr m yt zns

— -
.
 JAP A N E SE MYTH O L O GY

I II F U RTH ER C O NFLICTS
. AND CO MPR O MIS E S

The rul e o f the Sun g odde ss was re store d and the asse m
-

bl e d g ods de cide d to punish the outrag e ous Storm g o d His -

.

b e ard was stripp e d o ff, his posse ssions w e re confis ca t e d and he

was s e nt e nce d to banishm e nt Th e n b e g an his wande ring s and
.

adve nture s .

H e de sce nde d to t he re g io n o f Izumo , o n t he co ast o f t he

Se a o f Japan Th e r e he ki ll e d a mon st e r se rp e nt with an e ig ht
.

forke d h e ad W h e n he cut t he mon st e r s body to p ie ce s a

.
’
,

sword cam e o u t of its tail , and Susa no wo , t he Storm g o d se nt

- - -

t he w e apon to h is sist e r g odd e ss as a tribut e to he r and he r d e

sce n dan t s
. This sword it is said is hande d down in t he ruling
, ,

family as o n e o f t he thre e ins i g nia ; t he oth e r two are a j e we l

10
and a mirror .

W e mu st pass ove r s e ve ral oth e r adve ntur e s o f Susa n o wo , - -

but it is int e re sting to kn ow that he is re g arde d as the pion e e r

in t he co loniza tion o f Kore a and that he is said to have plante d
t he for e sts in t he r e g ion o f Kii on t he Pacific co ast
,
The place .

which he visit e d in Korea is call e d So shi mori, whi ch m e ant -

”
Ox s H e ad, and anothe r name o f t he g o d is Gu zu Te nno ,
’

”
t he C e l e stial King o f the O x s H e ad, in which capacity he is
’

re ve re d as a g uardian ag ainst plag u e and ide ntifi e d with Indra,

t he Hindu S torm g o d -
The story o f his w o rk in Kii a name
.
,
”
which may m e an fore sts, is that he came down from Izumo
t o t he Pa cific coast and plant e d t he mountains with hairs from
his h e ad and his be ard which be came tre e s Th e re is a place .

o n t he e ast e rn coa st o f Kii wh e r e t he g rav e o f Susa no wo is

,
- —

said to e xist ; the Villag e rs ce l e brate his fe stival by cove ring the
rav e with flow e rs Thus was th e Sto rm g o d transform e d into
g
-
.

the g e nius o f for e sts .

But t he chi e f fi e ld o f Susa n o wo s activity was in Izumo

’ - -
.

Th e re his de sce ndants are be li e ve d t o have r e ig n e d e ve r since

2 30 JAPAN E SE MYTH O L O GY
th e se source s His l e g s w e r e so small that he could not walk,
.

y e t h e kn e w e ve rything in the world and we nt e ve rywh e re .

H is e nd was a p e culiar o n e W h e n the mill e t in his fi e lds

.
1’

rip e n e d he climbe d o n e o f its e ars and as t he stalk re bounde d

“
,

he was thrown so far o fl that he n e ve r cam e ba ck but w e nt to ,

”
Tokoyo the Land o f E t e rnity
, Y e t thi s dwarf g o d is b e .

l ie v e d still to app e ar and to l e ad p e o pl e to place s wh e re th e re

are c urative sprin s
g Th e r e for e h.e i s o ft e n call e d t h e g o d of
”
hot sprin g s a natural e noug h fun ction fo r a m e dical divinity
, .

The j oint ac tivity o f th e two de iti e s e stablish e d t he a d m in is

t r at io n o f S u sa no wo in Izumo and a stat e was founde d th e r e
— -

,
.

M e anwhil e the Su n g odd e ss d e sire d to s e nd he r be love d

,
-

g randson Nini g i th e Pro sp e rity Man to t he e i g ht is -

lan d s ( the Japan e se archip e lag o ) g e n e rat e d by t he prim e val

coupl e A ft e r se ve ral failure s he r am bassadors finally su c
.
,

ce e d e d in g e ttin
g t he b e tt e r o f t he rul e rs of Izumo and oth e r
-

adj oinin g stat e s Th e mo st inte r e sti ng o f all the e pisode s is

.

that o f the subj ug ation o f Izumo fo r it de als with t he confli cts ,

and the final compro mise be twe e n the two clans de sce nde d ,

from the Sun g odde ss and the Storm g o d re sp e ctive ly

— -
.

This is the story : W e ll ( unde rstanding the diffi culti e s o f the

und e rtak ing t he Sun g odde ss s e nt two o f h e r b e st g e n e rals,

“
-

,
”
P ut su nu shi
-
t he Sharp cutting Lord —
t he g e nius o f t he ,

we apon ) and Take mi k azu chi ( the Valiant Aug u st Thun

- - - -

de r to the re alm o f O h kuni nushi Afte r a long re sistance

— -
.

O h kuni nushi and his sons the lords o f Izumo , yi e lde d to the
- -

de mand o f the arm e d amba ssadors th at Izumo should b e rul e d

by the Aug ust Grandchild o f the Sun g odde ss But a condition -
.

was ag re e d upon that all the powe r o f the V i sibl e world should
,

b e de live r e d to t he Grandchild whil e thing s hidde n should

“
,

still b e subj e ct t o t he rul e o f t he Gr e at Land Ma st e r and his

— -

de sce ndants By thing s hidde n was m e ant all myste ri e s

.

be yond t he vi sibl e physic al world the occult arts o f divination , ,

sorce ry e xorcism and t he m e dical arts

,
.
 C OS MO L O GI CAL MYTH S 2 31

The long conflict be twe e n the two partie s was conclud e d

in this pact which was in acco rdan ce with the orig inal ord inan ce
,

laid down by the primordial prog e nitor The cycl e o f an tithe .

sis b e tw e e n li fe and d e ath b e twe e n lig ht and d arkn e s s b e tw e e n

, , ,

wi sdom and barba ri sm did not de ve lop into a trag ic d ualism

,

to be foug ht o u t a s in som e oth e r myt holog i e s but e n d e d in

, ,

a compro mise which long charact e rize d the Japane se p hil o so

phy o f li fe until Bud dhist re lig ion cam e to ob scure th e se primi
,

tive b e li e fs The l e g e n d ary part o f Japan e se history o fte n

.

m e ntion s in conn e ction with various mi sfo rtun e s t he d e mand

, ,

o f t h e Gr e at Lan d Ma st e r fo r propitiation , and t he h e lp ful

- -

a d vi ce o f the Su n g odde ss g ive n in t he nam e o f he r noum e no n

-

the Hi g h Pro d u cin g d e ity

-
.

Afte r t he a ccount o f the unde rst anding be twe e n the Sun

g o d d e ss and t he S torm g o d com e s t h e story o f t he de sce nt o f
-

N inig i the Aug ust Gran d child o f t he Su n g o d de s s to t he

,
-

Japane se archip e lag o Thi s story we have spoke n o f in t he

.

Intro d uction ; with it t he cosmo lo g ical mytholog y e n d s and

t he l e g e ndary hi story o f th e country and o f th e ruling d yna sty

be g ins.

IV . E PI S O D E S A ND MYTH S O F O R IGI N S

The cycl e f th e
smolog ical myth s aims at e lucidating t he
o co

orig in and formation o f the world o f natural obj e cts an d ,

what was more important in the V i e w o f the compil e rs o f t he

anci e nt traditions t he o rig in o f the r uling dyna sty In o u t .

lining t he ancie nt mytholog y we have omitt e d many e pi sode s

whi ch we re m e ant to e xplain the source s o f natural obj e cts o f ,

so cial cu stoms an d o f human institutions

,
In th e se myths o f
.

orig in s po e tic imag ination worke d side by side with su p e rsti

,

tious ide as and t he g e n e ral con ce ptio ns o f the world and o f life
,

we re combin e d with t he be li e f in t he e fficacy of ce r e monie s A .

fe w o f th e m , how e v e r o ug ht t o be se t down
, .
2 32 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
The Moon g o d as we have said pl ays ve ry littl e part in the

“
-

, ,

mytholog y, but th e re is o n e story about him that se rve s two

purpo se s It is this ?
.

The Sun g odde ss o nce told he r broth e r, the Moon g o d, that

—

“
-

he mu st g o d o wn to e arth and se e wh at a c e rtain g odd e ss U k e

”
mo chi , t he Food g e nius, wa s doing The Moon g o d ac
-
.
—

c o r d in g ly de s ce n d e d to the place wh e r e U k e mochi was c lo se -

The g e nius o f food stu ffs s e e in g the

15
to a larg e Izatsn ra tre e -
.
—
,

h e ave nly g o d co ming do wn to he r wish e d to e nte rtain him , .

For thi s purpo se she turn e d he r fac e toward t he lan d, and

forthwith from he r mouth cam e o u t a quantity o f boil e d rice ,
wh e n she turn e d he r face to the se a, fi sh e s larg e and small , ,

c am e o u t o f he r mouth ; and wh e n she fac e d t he mountain s ,

g am e o f all sorts i ssu e d from it In st e ad o f appre ciating this .

e nt e rtainm e nt t he Moon g o d b e cam e e nrag e d be cause the

,
—

g o dd e ss o ffe r e d him thin g s that c am e forth fr o m he r mouth ,

and forthwith ki ll e d his un fortunat e ho ste ss O ut o f the body .

o f t h e Fo od g odd e ss c am e variou s food st u fi s, the hors e an d

'

— -

t h e co w w e r e born from h e r h e ad 5 silkworms we re produ ce d

fr o m he r e ye brows , mill e t g r e w on he r fore h e ad ; the rice

16
plant o n he r abdom e n e tc Such was the orig in of th e se
,
.

use ful thing s .

W h e n t he Moon g o d r e turn e d to He ave n and told his si ste r

-

o f his e xp e ri e nc e t he S u n g od d e ss was much displ e a se d at his

,
-

irritability and crue lty and said to him : O h crue l broth e r, ,

”
I shall se e you no more Th e re fo re , the moon app e ars a fte r
.

the sun se t and the two n e v e r look o n o ne anoth e r face to

,

face .

An oth e r story t e lls the ori g in o f a ce r e mony fo r asking the

favour o f the Harve st g o d —
.

W h e n t he Gre at Land Ma st e r cultivat e d his rice fi e lds he

- - -

av h is workm e n b e e f to e at Th e re cam e by a so n o f Mi
g e .

toshi no ka mi the g o d o f t he harve st who saw t he fi e lds

- —
, ,

stain e d by the impuriti e s caus e d by b e e f e ating H e told his -

.
 C O S M O L O GICAL MYTH S 2 33

fath e r and the H arve st g o d se nt a ho st o f locusts to the fi e lds

,
-

which ate up n e arly all t he ri ce plant s Throug h his powe rs o f .

d iv in at1o n the Gre at Lan d Ma ste r l e arn e d that the disaste r was
- -

cause d by t he wrath o f the Har ve st g o d In orde r to propitiat e -

.

t he o fl e n d e d g o d , t he Gr e at Land Ma st e r o ffe re d a whit e boar,

- -

a white hors e and a white cock Th e n the Harve st g o d was .

—

a pp e a se d and taug ht him h o w t o r e sto r e his ri ce plants how to ,

fan t he h e mp how to se t up a p hallus an d how t o o fi e r to it

‘

, ,

various fruit s and be rri e s S o the locusts w e re drive n away and

.

the Harve st g o d propitiat e d

—
Th e re a fte r the thre e whit e ani
.

”
mals name d above we re always o ffe re d to the Harv e st g o d -
.

Thi s is a simpl e story o f propitiation but the note worthy point ,

is t hat e ating be e f is e vide ntly r e g arde d as an o ffe nce ag ainst

’

t he Harve st go d -
.

W e have a lre ady s e e n how the ratio b e twe e n births and

de aths orig inat e d in a quarre l be twe e n t he prime val de iti e s .

Th e re is a curious story that e xp lains the short li fe o f t he

Imp e rial prince s
Ko n o hana sakuya him e
-

”
— -
.

t he Lady who mak e s the tr e e s

-

,
“ - - - -

bloom was t he b e auti ful daug ht e r o f O h yama tsumi t he

,
- —
,

Mountain g o d , an d he r e lde r S i st e r was t he ug ly Iwa nag a

- -

hime the Lady o f R o ck p e rp e tuity

,
”
W h e n Ninig i t he Au
-
.
,

g ust Gra n dchil d de sce n d e d to e arth he was attract e d by t he

, ,

be auty o f t he Bloom Lad y and a ske d h e r fath e r s cons e nt to his

—
’

marriag e with he r The fath e r O ffe re d both his daug ht e rs but

.
,

Nin ig i s choi ce o f co u r se fe ll upon t he youn g e r Soon a child

’
.

was born to t he Blo o m Lady The R ock Lady said :

-
If the
.
—

Aug ust G randchild had take n m e in marria g e his de s ce ndants ,

would have e nj o ye d a lon g li fe e ve rlasting as a ro ck ; but since ,

h e marri e d my youn g e r sist e r his po st e rity will b e frail and ,

”
short live d like t he flowe rs o f t he tre e s
-
.

The tre e s r e fe rr e d to ar e t he ch e rry tre e s and t he story -

probably origi nat e d in a poe tic fancy about t he tr e e s that g row

at t he foot o f Mount Fuj i Fuj i is a ste e p vo l cano and o n its
.
2 34 JAPAN E S E MYTH O L O GY
p e ak bar e ro cks soar de fiantly ag ain st t he sk y wh e r e as the ,

lowe r parts are cove re d with tre e s and bush e s E sp e cially .

c ommon is a kind o f wild ch e rry tr e e with p e ndant bran ch e s -

and de licat e flowe rs The Bloom Lady is worshipp e d at a

.
-

love ly spot wh e re cool wat e r g ush e s fo rth from virg in rock, and
h e r shrin e is surrounde d by a g rov e o f th e s e ch e rry tr e e s The -
.

san ctuary has stood th e r e from tim e imme morial and the p e r
so n ificatio n of t he Fath e r Mountain and his two dau ht e rs
g
must be v e ry anci e nt .

In t he story the p e rsonifi e d obj e cts are broug ht int o r e lation

with t he Imp e rial family and the myt h is turn e d into an e x
,

planation o f t he short lif e o f its m e mbe rs In that proce ss the .

story has lo st mu ch o f its primitive ch aract e r and ye t the

,

transf o rmation o f a local l e g e nd, e laborate d wi th po e tic fancy

into an e xplan ato ry myth , is inte re stin g The Bloom L ady .
-

in oth e r stori e s and in pictorial re pre se ntations is conce ive d as

a fairy who hove rs ove r the tre e s scatt e ring in t he sky the ,

pink ish clouds o f ch e rry blo ssoms She is a lso call e d the
-
.

nius f lum blo soms b aus th y w r om tim s call d

“
g e o p
-
s ,
e c e e e e s e e e
”
the fl o w e r .

The count e rpart o f the Blo om Lady is Tatsuta him e , t he - -

Lady who we ave s the brocade ( o f autumnal l e ave s ) Prob

- — - -
.

ably she was orig inally a g odde ss o f wind and th e re fore o f

we ath e r ; but sinc e the place wh e re he r shrin e stands Tatsut a , ,

was famous for its mapl e tr e e s g org e ou sly colour e d in the

autumn she be cam e be tt e r known as the g e nius o f autumn
,
.

Anoth e r g odde ss t he g e nius o f spring Saho yama him e by

, ,
- -

nam e , is also r e fe rr e d to in po e ms H e r nam e 13 probably .

de rive d from the Saho yama Hill whi ch stands to the e ast o f
-

N ara ( the Imp e rial r e side n ce durin g the g r e at e r part o f the

e i g hth c e ntury ) S inc e t h e e ast was r e g arde d as t he dir e ction
,

wh e nce the spring com e s It is al so to b e obse rve d that the rive r

.

Tat suta is to t he we st of Nara and t he we st is t he re g ion wh e nce

,

autumn app e ars .

2 36 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
part o f Japane se mytholog y, but a fi g urative allusion which all
Japan e se would unde rstand and ap pre ciat e Y e t the story and .

t he ce l e bration we r e so comp l e t e ly naturalize d that a pur e ly

Japan e se word was use d fo r th e m .

The inte re st that t he Japan e se po e ts take in the story is illus

tr at e d by a po e m o f the e i g hth c e ntury whi ch we r e produce ,

h e re from Miss W alsh s Maste r S ing e r: o f Jap an :

’ 20

T he s hi ning fl ood o f He ave n s R ive r gl e am s ’

,

A scar f o f si l ve r fl u ng on utm ost b lu e ,

A n d on t he shore wh e r b y its ra d i anc e stre am s

e
,

The lon ly He rdsm an fe e ls his gri e f a ne w

e .

Si n c e those fa r days whe n a l l t he world w as you ng ,

Fo r t h W e a ve r m a i d h is l o ng i ng sou l has p i ne d
e -

A n d ga zi ng on that fl ood his h e art is wru ng

W i th bu rn in g lov e thou ght p assi on unde fi ne d
-

, .

Fa i n wou ld he c ross i n fa i r r e d p ai nte d b arqu

,
-
e,

Fu rn i she d w i th tru sty oars b e g e m m e d wi th sp ray ,

T o c l e a v t he fl ood w i th l e ve l k e e l at dark
e ,

O r w i th c alm t i d e s to c ross a t b re a k o f day .

So stands the lo ve r b y those wate rs w i d e ,

G a zi n g a l l p i te ou s a t the arch ing sk y

-

So st n ds h e by the far fl u n g shi n i n g t i de

a -

G a zi ng w i th m any a he a r t d e sp a i ri ng si gh
k
-
.

A n d wa ve s h e r sc arf w i th wh i ch t he w i l d w inds p l ay
, ,

His a rm s ou tstre tc he d his sou l wi th lov e a fi r

,
e,

W h i le sti ll t he lagg i n g A u tu m n m ake s d lay e ,

No r sw i ft w in gs b ri dg e t he p ath to his d e si re ! ,

The cel e bration o f this fe stival is today unive rsal ; it is mostly

obse rve d by g irl s and wom e n Th e y se t up bamboos and hang
.

pi e ce s o f vari e g at e d pap e r from the bran ch e s, t h e y writ e po e ms

o n th e s e pap e rs in prais e o f t he t wo stars o r e ls e praye rs a d ,

dre ss e d to th e m asking fo r th e ir sympathy in love a ffairs .

Th e y tie varie g ate d yarns to the bamboos, as o ffe rin g s to the

W e ave r maid suppose d to symbo lize the une nding long ing o f
-
,

love B e sides oth e r o ffe ring s the wo me n p o ur wate r into a p an

.
 PL A T E X
T H E STA R F E S T I VA L OF TA NA —
BATA
No t i c e t he nste ll t i o ns i n th Sk y n d
t wo s tar co a e a

t he han k s f y rn p u d d in gs w i n
o a ,
tc o ff re d t o ,
e, e .
,
e

th e m Th o ff e rin gs a r e rr y d o n
. e l rg t b l e a a e a a e a

p l ce d in
a
g rd n a K t a th eJ p an e se harp is o n
. o o
,
e a ,

th tabl
e an d i t is la e d i n hon o u r o f th e st r l o ve rs
e,
p y a .

Se e p p 2 35 if
. .

Fro m Y a m a t o B u n k o , an i llu strate d de sc ri p ti o n o f

J a
p an e se f e st iv l
a s an d cu stom s p ri nte d i n t h
,
1 8 th e

ce ntu ry .
 C O SM O LO GI CAL MYTHS 2 37

and dip in it the l e ave s o f the t an tre e looking the whil e at the
—
,

r e fle ctions o f t he twinkling stars in t he wat e r Th e y be li e ve .

that th e y find ome n s in t he app e arance o f the wate r and o f t he

l e ave s ( Plat e X )
. .

V . TH E B E LI E FS C ON CE RN I N G TH E S O UL

In spit e o f the pr e val e nt animisti c b e li e f n o t mu ch is said ,

/
about the soul in t he an cie nt S hinto re co rds The soul is co n .

ce iv e d to b e som e thin g li k e a ball a s its app e llation t am a s zii

,
-

,
”
probably ball wind indicat e s It is compo se d o f two in
-

,
.

g r e d ie n ts o r functi o ns o n e mild r e fin e d and happy and the

, , ,

Th e form e r r e main s al
21
oth e r roug h unruly and vig orous
,
.

ways with the bo dy but the latt e r can l e ave it and work b e yo nd
,

t he k e n o f t he p e rson to whom it b e long s It is said tha t t he .

Gre at Land Mast e r o nce saw, to his amaze me nt his o wn

- -

roug h soul coming from the se a and that this soul was t he ,

chi e f ag e nt o f h is a c hi e v e m e nts But it is unce rtain wh e th e r all

.

p e rsons we re be li e ve d to posse ss t he doubl e soul o r only m e n

o f sp e cial powe r and ability Ho we ve r that may be the soul
.
,

is an e xist e nc e more or l e ss b e yond t he confin e s o f t he b od y ,

but it is ag ain un ce rtain wh e th e r the soul a ft e r t he de ath o f t he
body n e ce ssarily g o e s to o n e o f t he future abode s .

A s fo r t he future abode s we have alre ady h e ard o f t he

,

Lan d o f Gloom ; its an tith e sis is the Plain o f Hig h H e ave n ,

wh e r e the ce l e stial g ods re ig n But e ve n mor e wide spre a d than
.

t he b e li e f in th e s e pla ce s was the b e li e f that t he soul a ft e r ,

de ath , soj ourn e d fo r an inde finit e time clo se to the abode o f

human be ing s .

The anci e nt be li e fs abo ut the soul howe v e r we re vag ue and , ,

u nimportant , and it is chi e fly un d e r Chin e se and B uddhist

influe nce e sp e cially unde r the latt e r that the Japan e se came
, ,

to de fin e and e laborate th e ir ide as o f t he soul and o f its futur e

de stination L e t us se e what th e se ide as we re
. .
2 38 JAPA NES E MYTH O L O GY
The Chin e se conce ptio n o f the soul is base d upon t he p hysical
th e ory o f the two principl e s Yin and Yang According t o th e m
, .

t he soul is compo se d o f two factors o n e cl ose ly re lat e d to g ro ss

,

matt e r and the oth e r subtl e and a e rial The d e st1n1e s o f

, .

th e s e two factors we re de te rmine d partly by the natur e o f the

p e rson to whom th e y b e long e d and partly by the pla ce of
,

burial But th e se i d e a s did not influ e nce Japane se folk lore so

.
—

much as the e laborate t e aching s o f Buddhism o n the matte r o f

tran smig ration .

Prop e rly sp e aking , Buddhi sm de ni e d a p e rman e nt r e sting

place to t he soul and taug ht a p e rp e tual proce ss o f chang e in a
man s moral characte r This co n tIn u ity, the se rial and col
’
.

late ral continuity o f karma , as we hav e said b e fore sto od fo r ,

the soul in the common b e li e f , and t he d e stiny o f t he soul was

h e ld to be its tran smig ration from r e alm to re alm, from t he
22
h e ave nly world to t he n e th e rmost h e ll Buddhi st mytholog y
.

is full o f minut e de tail s about the pil g rimag e o f the soul to and
from th e s e r e alms and t he g hosts o f tho se who wave re d nu
,

ce rtainly b e tw e e n th e m w e r e thou g ht som e tim e s to app e ar to

m en . O n e o f t h e mo st popular tal e s about t he wan d e ring s o f

t he soul says that th e r e is a rive r o n t he bank o f whi ch t he soul
,

co ul d d e cid e whith e r it w o uld g o The stre am was call e d

.

”
Sanzu no Kawa, the Ri ve r o f the Thre e R oute s be cause the
- —
,

ways de part e d th e nce 1n thr e e dire ction s o ne toward t he h e lls,

,

t he s e cond toward t he b e ast li fe , and the third toward th e r e alm

o f the hung ry g ho sts ( Sanskrit Pre ta ) O n th e se thre e .

ro ads th e re we r e various posts at which the soul was e xamin e d

by the j udg e s the Plutos o f Buddhism ; and finally th e re was
,

t he dre adful king j udg e , E mma ( Sanskrit Y ama r aj a) in the

- —
,

h e lls, who g ave se nt e nce o f punishm e nt accordin g to the sinful

n e ss o f the souls that cam e be fore h1m Th ese sce ne s we re.

o ft e n de pi cte d in picture s like the g raphic re pre s e ntations o f

t he La st Judg m e nt and the pains o f h e ll paint e d by artists o f
m e diae val E urop e .
24 o JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
Th e n com e crue l de vils who de stroy the littl e towe rs and drive
away the innoce nt souls o f the childre n But the compassion ate
.

g o d Jiz O c om e s to the r e scu e , the ring s j in g lin g at t he tip o f

his pilg rim s sta ff H e st e p s o n t he san dy rive r be d, and
’
.
-

wh e r e ve r h e st e p s lotus flowe rs g row H e drive s away t he

.

de mons and con sol e s the t e rrifi e d childre n :

Be n o t a fra i d, l i ttle d e a r one s,

Y o u w e re so l i ttl e t o c o m e h e re ,
A ll t he l o n g j o u rne y t o Me id o !
I w i ll be Fat he r a n d Mo the r,
Fathe r a n d Mo the r a n d Playm ate
To all ch i l dre n i n Me i do !

The n h e c are sse s t h m k in dly

e ,

Fo l d in g his shi n i n g r b s r n d t he m
o e ou ,

L i ft i g t h sm a ll st n d fra i l st
n e e a e

Into his b o so m an d h l ding

, o

His Staff fo r t he stu m b l rs t o cl u tch

e .

To his long sl e e ve s c l ing t he in f ntsa ,

Sm i l e i n re sp o nse t o his sm i l in g ,
G la d i n his b e au te ou s c o m p assi o n .

VI TH E
. BUDD HI ST PAR ADIS E A ND TH E
GUAR DIANS O F TH E W OR LD

W e shall hav e mor e to say o f t he Buddhi st th e ory o r mythol

o gy o f transmig ration , e sp e cially with r e fe r e nc e to t he infe rior

births , in conn e ction with Jap an e se folk lore At pre se nt we -

.

shall sp e ak o f the Buddhist paradis e as disting ui sh e d from t he

h e ave nly worlds be caus e t he latt e r are a r e sult o f transmig ra
,

tion and are subj e ct to de cay, whil e p aradise stands unchang e d

be yond th e m all .

Buddhist mytholog y taug ht that th e re we re nume rous

re alms o f Buddhas, paradi se s, so to sp e ak furnish e d by ,

various Buddhas to rece ive th e ir r e sp e ctive be li e ve rs Th e s e .

 PL A T ES X I X II X III X I V
, , ,

A G HO T S

Th i s is
an app ari t i n o f a fe m le g ho st w i th a o a ,

p ho sp ho r sc e nt fl am e e nd r
p r se nts a so u l to rm nte d ,
a e e e

by ha tr d r j a l u sy e Th J p n se g ho st is su
o e o . e a a e u

a l ly n d e rsto o d t o be vo i d f f e t bu t h re a fo o t is
u o e ,
e

fa intly d p i c t d Th arti st O ky f u nd e d a r l
e e . e o o ea

ist ic sc ho o l a n d his w rks a f m s f o r t h i r fa i t h o re a ou e

f u ln e ss to na tu r S p 2 39 e. ee . .

By M ru y m O k y ( d t d
a a O r i g i na l i n
a o a e

p ss ssi o n o f M s m o f Fi n A rts Bost o n

o e u eu e ,
.

TH E G EN I I OF TH E W O R L D BEYO N D

ShOz u g a -
no Ba ba ( t h ge u a rd i an o f t he c ro ss r -
oa ds
on t he j rn
ou e
y o f t he so u l ) . E v er
y so u l t r an sm i

g rat ing to t he v ri
rts b y nd h s to p y a
a ou s r e so e o a a

t rib u t e to th o l d w o m an si tt i n
e
g t t h c ro ss ro a ds a e -

w he r e t he t hre wa ys o f transm i g r t i o n b g in
e S e a e . e

p . 2 38 .

Jiz O ( Ksitiga r bha ) ,

t he g u a rd in
a o f t he ch i ldr n se
’

so u ls . Se e p . 240 .

Em m a raj a) th Plu to o f
( Ya m a -

,
e the Bu ddh it
s

he ll s . He is a f ri o s m n i fe stat i o n u u a o f t he sa m e

ge ni u s as t h b n i gn g e n i u s Ji O S p
e e , z . ee . 2 38 .

By Ku k u c hi Y é sa i ( 17 8 8 In p o sse ss on i
o f Mu se u m o f F in e A rts, Bo sto n .
24 2 JAPA NE S E MYTH O L O GY
e nli g hte nm e nt in t he truths taug ht in the L o tu s It may be
.

take n to stand fo r the pre se nt world transforme d, and this

ide alization o f the actual world l e d the true Buddhists t o take
a po e tic and symbolic V ie w o f th e ir surrounding s, including
t he animals an d flow e rs and impr e sse d th e m with th e p o ssibil
,

ity o f clo s e spiritual communio n with t he e xt e rnal world .

W h e n we com e to sp e ak o f tal e s of animals and plants, we

shall re fe r to t he ide a that t he soul o f an animal o r a plant can
be save d by the mira culous powe r o f the scriptur e L o tu s;
that ide a is a re sult o f t he b e lie f in t he paradis e o f Vulture
~

P e ak whi ch is within the re ach of anyon e who is e nlig hte n e d in

the truths r e v e al e d in t he scriptur e .

But the paradisaical conc e ption that e xe rcise d t he g re at e st

influ e nce upon popular be li e fs was that o f Gokuraku J odo and ,

wh e n a paradise is m e ntion e d without qualifi cation the paradi se

o f A mita Buddh a is m e ant
-
Th e re in is a pond fill ed with
.

ambrosia the lotus fl o we rs blo o m in it, the t e rrace s o f tre e s are

,
-

de corat e d with j e we ls the birds o f paradi se sing th e ir h e ave nly

,

son g s the b e ll s hang ing o n the tr e e s play S we e t music in t he

,

soft br e e ze and hosts o f an g e ls ( Te n n in ) hove r in the sky and

,
25
scatt e r flowe rs ove r the Buddha and his saints . Th e se d e scrip
tive de tails we re familiar to all Japan e s e , th e y app e ar ag ain
and ag ain in po e try and in tal e s, and th e y we re o ft e n us e d in
daily conve rsations .

Acc ording to Buddhist c o smolog y, t he innum e rabl e p ara

dis e s are inhabit e d by be ing s o f ide al p e rfe ction , and the uni
ve rse , which contains countl e ss worlds, is thro ng e d with sp irits,
som e be n e vol e nt and som e mali cious .

P ostponing the conside ration o f the malicious spirits to a late r

Chapt e r, we may say a word h e re about the g re at g uardians o f
t he world , t he kin g s o f the hosts o f be n e vol e nt spirits . Th e y
a re four in numb e r and are r e pr e s e nt e d as warrior s in full

armour, with swords o r sp e ars in th e ir hands and trampling

,

upon de mons The g uardi an o f the e ast is Jik o k u te n ( D hr ta

.
-
 “
C O SM O L O GICAL MYTH S 24 3

rastra ) , the W atch o fLands 5 the south is g uarde d by

the

Z OchO te n ( Viru d hak a ) , the Patron o f Growth

-
in the we st
st ands KOm o k u te n ( Vir u p ak sa ) ,
-
t h e W ide g azing an d 1n
-

the north Bisham o n te n ( Vaisr av ana )

-
th e W ide h e aring
,
-

”
or R e nown e d Th e y are always o n t he watch fo r de mons
.

who attack t he world from t he four quarte rs o f the h e av e n s,

26
an d ha ve sp e cial and t e nd e r care fo r Bu d dhi sts Th e re we re
.

picture s o f th e se g uardian king s in mo st Buddhist t e mpl e s and

th e y we re favourite fig ure s in t he re lig ion o f the p e opl e O f .

the four Bisham o n was most popular and in lat e r tim e s he was
,

e ve n vul g arize d into a patron o f w e alth .

It will be inte re sting h e re to r e fe r to t he C hin e se count e rpart

o f t he Bud d hi st g uardians Chine se cosmo log y t e ach e s t wo
.

cosmic prin cipl e s, Yin and Yang and fiv e e l e me nts in the fo r

,

mation o f t he world , and the g uardians o f t he world r e p re

se nte d principle s and e l e m e nts pre dominant in e ach o f t he four
quart e rs The g uardian o f t he south wh e re t he positive prin
.
,

cip l e Yang rul e s and the fi e ry e l e m e nt pre do minat e s , is sym

, , ,
”
b o l ize d as the R e d Bird In the north rul e s the Dark
'

W arrior a t o rtois e , the symbol o f Yin , t he n e g ative principl e

”
, ,

an d o f the e l e m e nt wat e r The Azure Drag on in the e ast

.

symbolize s the g rowin g warmth o f spring and t h e e l e m e nt

wood The W hite Tig e r in t he we st r e pre se nts autumn and

.

the m e tallic e l e m e nt Th e se Chin e se world g ua rdians e xiste d

.
-

sid e by side with t he Buddhist king s, without b e ing confuse d

with th e m in the popular mind .
 C H A P TE R II

L O CA L L E G EN D S A N D C O MMU N A L
C U L TS

T O P O GRAPHY A ND TH E DI V ISI O N I NT O CLANS

HE larg e r islands o f Japan are int e rsect e d e ve rywh e r e by

rang e s o f hill s and rive rs flowing be twe e n th e m which ,

cro ss the i slands p e rp e ndicularly to th e ir l e ng th E ve ry vall e y

.

has its charact e ristic fe ature s, surrounde d by fantastic p e aks or

o c cupi e d by lake s that fill th e l o w
g round T
. h e se a coasts
-
a re

u sually marke d by bold cli ffs by alt e rnat e inl e ts and p ro m o n

,

tori e s by i sl e ts and rocks scatte re d ove r t he bays The land

, .

thus wide ly dive rsifi e d was in anci e nt tim e s divide d among

, ,

t rib e s o f varying charact e r and occupation ; e ve n to this day t he

commun e s re tain many o f the anci e nt traditions and obse rvanc e s ,

which th e y a sso ciate with ance stral m e mori e s and maintain as a

matt e r o f lo cal pride The topo g raphical fe ature s an d the co m
.

m u n al h e re diti e s su fli cie n tly e xplain the inv e ntion and pr e se rva

tion o f scor e s o f local l e g e nds p e culiar to the di ffe r e nt province s
an d commun e s .

The compilation o f o ral traditions, in the e i g hth c e ntury ,

was primarily int e nde d to g ive san ction t o a political unity ba se d

o n t he worship o f th e chi e f d e ity t he Sun g odde ss
,
-
Y e t many
.

communal l e g e nds and folk tal e s w e re e mb e dde d in the ce ntral

-

narrative which de alt with the orig i n o f t he nation Som e .

stori e s we re common to many tribe s o th e rs we re appare ntly

,

kn own only t o sing l e communiti e s ; but all found place in the

national mytholo g y Mor e ove r , by sp e cial command in 7 13
.

ve ry n e ar the time o f t he g re at e r compilation t he local

24 6 JAPA NE S E MYTH O L O GY
th e s e l e g e nds a cont e st be tw e e n the g e nn of the r e sp e ctive t e rri
tori e s o r o f ce rtain striking natural fe ature s in those t e rritori e s
, ,

such as a mountain o r a lake In th e m we find popular bits o f

.

folk lore e ntang l e d with t he mythopo e ti c inve ntions o f the

-

lit e rati and Shinto ide a s ar e con fuse d with imag e ry sugg e ste d
,

by Buddhism or Taoism It is probably true that l e g e ndary

.

inve ntion was more active wh e n the country was politically di

vid e d and t he clan spirit r e i n e d than in the tim e s o f national
g ,

unity To d ay the compl e te unity o f the nation , to g e th e r with

.

t he incr e a se d fa ciliti e s o f communi cation t e nds to d e stroy t he

,

chara ct e ri sti c fe ature s o f the provincial li fe ; more ove r the

spr e ad o f sci e ntifi c e du cation cause s mo re and more o f the p e o
l
p e to look upon the o ld stori e s as silly Th e r e may com e a day
.

wh e n the anc i e nt l e g e nds will be only pr e serve d in writt e n col

l e ction s; ye t it is a qu e stion not only in Japan but e l se wh e re
, ,

wh e th e r t he mythopo e ti c fac ulty o f mankind is de stine d wholly

to di sapp e ar be for e t he re ali sm o f mode rn e ducation .

Howe ve r that may be in an cie nt Japan the local folk lor e

,
-

was an ins e parabl e part of t he communal cult o f t he tribe s .

The b e li e f in t he c ommon orig in o f t he clan folk was t e stifi e d

to by t he cult o f th e ir a nc e stral o r tut e lary d e ity ce m e nte d by
,

r e lig ious obs e rvan ce s and p e rp e tuat e d by t he e ve r fl o wing -

stre am o f l e g e nd S trikin g natural fe atur e s, such as a hill o r a

.

for e st a promontory o r a lake side , w e re o f old and ar e today

, ,

de di cat e d to t he clan de ity who was b e lie ve d t o be the ance stor

,

o f t h e tribe or to t he tut e lary g e nius o f the r e g ion

,
A simpl e
.

shrin e o f wood stands in the g lo omy S hade o f old tr e e s usually ,

a t a spot whi ch commands t h e b e st vi e w o f t he sacr e d plac e and ,

it be com e s the ce ntre o f communal li fe Th e re the p e ople as

.

s e mbl e o n fe stival d ays at thanksg iving s fo r harve st at praye r

, ,

m e e ting s fo r rain o r fo r de live ran ce from p e stil e nce and o n ,

oth e r occasions o f co mmon int e r e st Som e m e mory o f the de ity

.

is pre se rv e d in a natural obj e ct which is b e li e ve d to have had

its orig in in t he be n e vol e nt inte re st o f the de ity in the p e opl e o f
 PLA TE XV
F U R o No Y - -
AS H IR O A S H I N TO ,
S H R I NE DI
DE
CA TED To A SW OR D BE L I E V E D To PO SS E SS MIR A C
ULOUS PO W ER

No t i c e to p o grap hy an d su rro u nd i gs f th
t he n o e

sp o t d s v r l
an dj u n c t shr in s b e si d
e e a ath m in e e e a

b u ld i g in th c ntr e The tre e s su rro u nd ing t h

i n e e . e

S hr in r c hi fl y p in e s n d s g i Fo r an ac c o u nt f
e a e e a n . o

su c h shri s se pp 2 4 6 7
ne e .
—
.

T k e fro m Y m t M i k Z
a n t he i l lu strat d
a a o e s o n
,
e

d sc r p t i o ns f t h fa m o u s p l c e s i n the p ro vi n c
e i o e f a e o

Ya m a t o .
 L O CAL L E G E NDS —
C O MMUNAL CULTS 24 7
his choi ce That obj e ct may be a g iant tre e which t he de ity is
.
,

said to have plant e d o r in whi ch his spirit is be li e ve d still to

,

abide It may be a ro ck o n whi ch he once sat o r which is su p

.
, ,

pose d to be his we apon l e ft be hin d him and p e trifi e d It may .

be a fountain whi ch the de ity has cause d to g u sh forth .

B e side s the chi e f shrin e th e r e are like ly to b e many subsidia ry

shrin e s in the n e ig hbourhood E ach is d e d i cat e d to a p e culiar
.

de ity o r spirit and has its o wn story a sso ciate d with t he divine
o r mira culou s mani fe station o f t he wor shipp e d o n e Th e se .

small e r shrin e s are scatt e r e d about in various place s in a g rove , ,

o r by t he wate r side o r c lo se to a wat e r fall o r o n a hillock

,
It ,
.

is not n e ce ssary to e re ct a shrin e howe ve r in orde r to in d i cat e

, ,

t he sacr e d charact e r o f a plac e A straw co rd to which pie ce s of

.
-

pap e r ar e ti e d the sig n o f sanctity can b e susp e nd e d fo r this

, ,

purpos e A tre e n e ar whi ch a spirit app e are d o r a miracl e took

.

place is oft e n disting uish e d in this way and a cool fountain a , ,

g iant ro ck o,r an o l d g rav e may b e thus marke d e ve n if it has

,

no de finite divin e a ssociation .

In short e ve ry place is re g arde d as sacre d if th e r e is som e

‘

tradition o f g ods spirit s fairi e s o r ance stors conn e ct e d with it ,

, ,

and those place s are se t apart and con se crat e d a ccor d ing to the
customs o f t he anci e nt Shinto r e lig ion The whol e country is .

studde d with sanctuari e s o f this kind ; e ach locality has at l e ast

o n e such an d stori e s ar e told abo ut e ach o f th e m
,
Th e m otive s .

o f the d i ffe re nt stori e s ar e o ft e n much alike but e ach is j e al ,

o u sly pr e s e rv e d not o nly in oral tradition but in r e li g ious o b ,

se r v an ce s and fe stival s amon g t he community to whi ch it is

,

p e culia r To that e xt e nt the Japan e se p e opl e may b e said to b e

.
,

still livin g in a mytholo g ical ag e ; in fact the S hinto re li g ion

t e ach e s that t he country is the land o f t he g ods wh o e ve n now ,

ling e r among human be ing s and hove r about i n t he sky among ,

the fo re sts m e n t h e p e aks and hills

,
.

The olde st o f the l ocal l e g e n d s is conce rn e d with a curious

topog raphical fe ature o f the province o f Izumo to which , as ,
24 8 JAPAN E S E MYTH O L O GY
th e re ade r will re m e mbe r the Storm g o d was e xil e d by the
,
—

h e ave nly pow e rs .

Thi s re g ion is be li e ve d to hav e be e n the sce ne o f much that

happ e n e d d uring t he ag e o f the g r e at g o d s and sin ce tim e im ,

m e morial the g r e at shrin e o f Kitsuki has stood o n t he shore of

the S e a o f Japan Izumo is the province whi ch was by chance
.

t he fir st hom e in Japan o f that po e ti c g e niu s La fcadio H e arn , ,

and th e re he g ain e d his e arli e st appre ciation o f the Japane se

p e opl e an d o f th e ir art an d th e ir po e try In Izumo th e r e se e ms .

to lin g e r so m e br e ath o f the ag e o f fabl e the r e sult doubtl e ss ,

o f t h e ve n e rabl e antiquity an d th e c harmin b e auty f t he

g o

r e g ion .

The province o ccupi e s a narrow strip o f land b e twe e n t he S e a

o f Japan and t h e mountain ran g e that form s t he ba ckbon e o f

t he mainland O n its north e rn S ide th e re is a long p e ninsula

.

c onn e ct e d with t he mainland o n the w e st by a sandy b e ach an d

,

s e parat e d o n the e ast by narrow straits from similar sand

, ,

b e ach e s This is t he way in which the tradition e xplain s that

.

p e ninsula
O mi tsu nu -
B e ach Fi e ld Mast e r
-
was a g rands o n o f
- -

Susa n o wo the S torm g o d whom he su cce e de d as rul e r o f

- -

,
-

Izumo H e saw that his country was only a narrow strip

.

o f land and he wi sh e d to e nlar e it Ac cordin g ly h e look e d

g .

northward toward Kore a and saw that th e re was pl e nty o f u m

use d land along the e ast e rn coa st H e fast e n e d a long rop e to .

that pi e ce o f land and ti e d the oth e r e n d o f the rop e to Mount

S ahim e Th e n he cau se d his p e opl e to pull o n t he rop e and
.

d raw t he land toward Izumo W h e n the pi e ce was finally .

j oin e d to Izumo the rop e was l e ft lying o n t he b e ach which is

, ,
”
th e re fore call e d S o no hag aham a t he lon g be ach of h e mp
- -

,
.

In similar fashion he pull e d pi e ce s o f land from i slands in the

S e a o f Japan and fast e n e d th e m to t he co a st o f Izumo
,
The .

last o f tho se rop e s he bound to Mo unt Taise n and its r e mains ,

made the b e ach o f Yomi ( se e the map ) So the B e ach Fi e ld .

-
 L O CAL L E GE N DS CO M MUN AL C ULT S 24 9

Maste r succe e de d in e nlarg ing his lan d by a dding to it the p e nin

1
s ula whi ch now make s t he north e rn part o f t he provin ce .

W ith r e g ar d to Izumo the nam e s o f t he provin ce an d o f,

som e pla ce s in it ar e sai d to have ori g inat e d in c onn e ction with

th e a d ve ntur e s o f S u sa no wo a ft e r h e h ad b e e n e xp e ll e d from
- -

t he Plain o f Hi g h H e ave n an d had C om e down to that province .

A s h e wal ke d b e si d e t he rive r Hi th e S torm g o d cam e upon an ,

-

o l d coupl e who w e pt in d i str e ss Th e ir only d aug ht e r W o n .

,

d ro u s Ina d a Prin ce ss was to b e sacrifi ce d to a drag on W h o d e

—
, ,

m an d e d a youn g woman e ve ry ye ar S u sa no wo e sc ort e d t he .

- -

g irl to t h e pla ce o f sa crifi ce on t h e upp e r pa rt o f t he rive r Th e

,
.

d rag on app e are d an d drank all t he sa k e b e e r that was se t out for —

him an d th e n atta cke d th e g irl wh e r e upon the valiant S torm ,

g o d c hopp e d t h e animal to pi e ce s T h e g irl subse qu e ntly b e .

cam e t he wi fe o f S u sa no wo - -
.

As the w e dd in g approach e d S u sa n o wo w e nt about t h e prov ,

— -

in ce in s e arch o f a sp e cially love ly spot fo r t h e ce r e mony .

W h e n h e ca me to a ce rtain place it g ave him the g r e at e st pl e as ,

u re,
and he sai d : My h e art is re fre sh e d ( sn g a sn g a
” -

H e n ce t he place is call e d S ug a an d th e re to this d ay stands a ,

S hrin e d e di cat e d to t he g o d and his W i fe More ove r at the .

,

marriag e he san g a po e m o f ce l e bration whi ch ran thus :

Ya ku m o t a t su Many c l o u ds arise ,

Iz u -
m o a he
y
-

ga ki On a ll s id
ni f ld f nc e
es a ma o e ,

Tsu m a g o m e-
ni To r c w i th i n it th Sp o s s
e e iv e e u e ,

Ya k e g a k e tsu k u ru
-
The y f rm a m n i f l d f nc e
o a o e

So no ya h e ga -
ki wo ! Ah ! th t m an i f o l d f e nc !
a e
2

H e n ce came the nam e Izumo whi ch m e an s t he rising

”
clou d s an d h e n ce al so cam e La fc adio H e arn s Japan e se nam e
’
,
”
Yakumo whi ch m e an s the e ig ht fold clouds .

Thus Susa no wo bec am e the lord of Izumo and t he Gre at

- -

S hrin e o f Kit suki was e rec t e d in his honour W ith his S hrin e .
,

p r e
-
e min e nt in its san ctity are conn e ct e d many stori e s and o h
,

se r v an ce s that conce rn Susa no wo and his d e sc e ndants Ac

- -
.
2 50 JAPA NE S E MYTH O L O GY
c ording to o n e o f the stori e s this san ctuary is the place wh e re all
t he d e iti e s o f Japan a sse mbl e in t he t e nth lunar month in orde r ,

to arrang e all t he marriag e s that are to occur in the c ountry dur

in g t he comin g y e ar Thi s is e vid e ntly to b e tra ce d to t h e story
.

o f Su sa no wo s marria e at this spot to Inada Prin ce ss an d it

’
g
- - -

al so r e fl e cts the Japan e se custom o f arran g in g marriag e throug h

an int e rm e diary c all e d a g o b e twe e n —
.

The asse mbly o f th e g o d s is said to b e h e ld at four o clock in ’

t he mornin g o f t h e fir st d ay o f t he t e nth month , and th e p e opl e

car e fully k e e p in d oors at that hour in orde r not to di sturb t he

de iti e s W h e n all t he g ods have com e tog e th e r the Drag on

.

Kin g brin g s his o ffe rin g to the a ss e mbly Th e Drag on Kin g .

,

ac compani e d by innum e rabl e ho st s o f maritim e be ing s app e ars ,

o n t h e se a ; t he se a is illuminat e d, t he tid e ri se s and t he sky is ,

full o f radian ce This sce n e is r e pr e se nt e d in a myst e ry play

.
-

o f t he fi ft e e nth c e ntury The pri e st who atte nds the Gre at

.

S hrin e g o e s to th e b e a ch to r e ce ive t h e dra g on s o ffe rin g s : thi s ’

is an annual ce re mony A p e culiar fact conne ct e d with this

.

myth o f the g ods a sse mbly at Kit suki is that in oth e r parts o f
’

/
Japan the t e nth month is call e d t he month without g ods
( K a m -
i n as zi a i ), but
—
in Izumo it is call e d t h e month with
g ods ( Kam i ari -

Susa no wo the S torm g o d, is the subj e ct o f the story o f hos

- -

,
-

p it al ity ,
and his wand e rin g s are suppos e d to hav e take n him to

t he variou s pla ce s wh e r e his S hrin e s stand Al thoug h the ori g in .

o f t he story is not c e rtain , t he nam e s o f t he p e rson s conc e rn e d

s e e m to b e o f Kor e an orig in This is the story .

Aft e r he had b e e n drive n from the Plain o f Hig h H e ave n ,

Susa no wo trave ll e d about as a mise rabl e outcast O n e ni g ht

- -
.
,

wh e n the rain was pouring down he kn ocke d at the door o f a ,

man nam e d Kotan ShOrai S e e ing a man clad in a m e an straw

-
.
3

mantl e and w e arin g a rain hat made o f a kind o f re e d Kotan -

thoug ht it safe r to turn away the d ubious vi sitor Su sa no wo , .

— -

in g re at distre ss, th e n kno cke d at the door o f Somin Shér ai, a -

 PLA T E S X VI, XVII
A P AI R OF SC REEN S W IT H
A N D SC AP E S
L
Mo u n t Tsu k u ba . B . M nt F j i
ou u .

The p i c tu re s a re not int n d d

e e i
f o r llu stra t in f
o o

t he le g e n d o f t he t w o m ount i n a s, bu t S i m p ly f th
or e

Sa k e o f l an dsca p e . Y e t we c an se e ho w t he t wo

m ou n t i ns
nsp i cu o u sly s n fr o m the p l a in f
a co ee o

Hi t c hi an d n i g hb u ri n g p r o vinc e s g v e r i s t o t he
a e o a e

l g e n d f h o sp i t l i ty sc rib d to th e m
e o a S e p 2 5I
a e . e . .

By K n o Shés n ( d i e d i n
a e In p o sse ssi n o f o

Mu se u m o f Fine A r ts Bo st n ,
o .
2 52 J AP A NE S E MYTH O L O GY
th e ir ori g in in t he be li e f that the g e n e ral was unde r the p ro te c
”
tion o f the g o d Hachiman o r E ig ht bann e rs who se S hrin e ,
—
,

is S ituat e d at Iwa shimizu or the —

Virg in rock fount ain
,
” —
.

The stori e s o f KOb O ar e always a sso ciat e d with his mi ssionary

wande ring s O n ce wh e n he was tr ave lling the story run s he
.
, ,

was r e ce ive d by an old woman who live d in a pla ce de stitut e o f

wat e r KOb O in orde r to re ward he r fo r he r ho spitality cre at e d
.
, ,

t h e fountain by stabbin g the e arth with h is pil g rim s sta ff

’
.

Yoshi iye s e x p loit s ar e said to have o ccurre d during his mili

-
’

tary e xp e ditions O n e summ e r d a.

y we r e ad his soldi e rs su f , ,

fe r e d from h e at and thir st The g e n e ral praye d to his tut e lary

.

g o d Ha chiman and wh e n he pi e rce d a rock with his bow and

, ,

arro w a g ushin g fountain app e ar e d th e re a ft e r n e ve r to run dry , .

H o t S prin g s are b e li e ve d to hav e had th e ir orig in in a divin e

I

5
app e aran ce o f S uku na biko the m e di cin e man among the an
— -

,
-

ci e nt g ods .

Among the l e g e nds re latin g to KOb O Daishi th e re are many _

that a ccount fo r c e rtain lo cal p e culiariti e s Th e re are no foxe s .

in the i sland o f Shikoku That is be cause KOb O drove o u t the

.

animal as a puni shm e nt fo r its att e mpt to de ce 1v e the g r e at Bud

d hist t e a ch e r d urin g h is wan d e ri ng s throug h Shikoku In .

place s wh e r e th e r e ar e n o mo squito e s the fa ct is e xplaine d by ,

KOb O s sp e cial favour , S hown to the inhabitants o f the place

’

b e cau se th e y re ce ive d him ho spitably .

Th e r e is a villag e in KOzu k e wh e re Irish potato e s do not g row

we ll W h e n Kob O cam e to that villa g e and aske d fo r potato e s
.

t he propri e tor o f t he farm told him that t he potato e s we r e as

hard as ston e s fo r he was not willin g to g ive th e m t o the be g g ar

,

monk KOb O said : I s it r e ally so ? Th e n it shall always b e

.

so.
”
H e n ce forth the potato e s rais e d in that villag e We re r e ally
as hard as ston e s .

Th e r e is at a ce rtain plac e a mountain str e am wh e nce vapour

ri se s O nce wh e n KOb O pass e d that stre am a boy cam e to him
.

and a ske d him to writ e so m e l e tte rs fo r him Having n o pap e r .

 L O CAL L E G E ND S C O MMUNAL CULT S 2 53

KObO wrot e om e l e t te rs in the air The boy th e n a ske d KOb O

s .

to write mor e o n the wate r o f the S tre am KOb O wrot e t he Chi .

n e se i d e o g ram fo r drag on and int e ntionally omitt e d o n e point .

Th e bo y mira culou sly too a dd e d th e p o int Th e n still more

, ,
.

miraculousl y t he ide o g ram b e cam e an a ctual d rag on whi ch fl e w

of f out o f t he wat e r H e n ce the tra ce o f the fl ying d rag on
.

above the wate r .

Fin e tre e s are fre que ntly made the th e me o f lo cal l e g e nd —

and twin tre e s e sp e cially ar e conn e ct e d with t he m e mory o f

love rs Amon g tre e s the pin e p l ays t he g r e at e st part and n e xt
.
,

to it the sn g i tre e t h e camphor tr e e and th e g in g ko

-

,
—
,
.

H e re is the story o f twin pine tr e e s tol d in t he anci e nt Fu d o

-

k i o f Hita chi : O n ce upon a tim e th e re w e r e in Hita chi a fin e lad

o f t he nam e N asé and a hand som e g irl o f t h e nam e A z é
6
E ach .

o f th e m was famou s fo r a b e auty whi ch cau se d th e oth e r v il

lag e rs to ad mire as we ll as to e nvy th e m Th e y fe ll in love .

with e a ch oth e r an d o n e ni g ht on t he o cca sion o f the annual

, ,

m e e ting o f t he vi ll ag e rs fo r e xchang ing po e m s Nasé an d Az e ,

e xchan g e d v e r se s whi ch
g ave e xpr e ssion to th e ir love Th e y 7
.

l e ft the oth e rs and b e took th e ms e lve s to a fore st clo se b y t he se a

shor e . He re th e y talke d o f t h e ir love throug h the nig ht .

Th e r e was n o o n e e lse th e re but t he pin e tre e s playe d g e ntl e

,
—

music on th e ir murmuring n e e dl e s and th e y passe d the nig ht as

,

if in a swe e t d re am .

W h e n ove r the o ce an horizon the day b e g an to dawn an d the

morning twilig ht p e n e trat e d into t he pin e for e st t he love rs fo r ,

t he fir st tim e r e alize d that th e y w e r e far from th e ir hom e .

Th e y we re a fraid to r e turn to th e ir o wn p e opl e b e cau se o f t he ,

insinuations o f t he oth e r young p e opl e and t he ce nsu re o f th e ir

e lde rs which th e y would have to m e e t Th e y wi sh e d to re main
.

fore ve r by th e m se lve s, apart from the world Th e y e mbrace d .

e a ch oth e r and w e pt an d w e r e m e tamorpho se d into t h e t wo

,

pine tre e s e ntwine d with e ac h oth e r among the othe r tre e s

-

, .

In thi s story the twin tr e e s are symboli c o f a passionate love ,

2 54 JAPA N E S E MYTH O L O GY
but in anoth e r l e g e n d two pin e tre e s are like n e d to an o ld coupl e
-

an d r e pr e se nt c onj ug al fid e lity i e t he famous tr e e s o f Taka

, . .

sa g o o f which we shall sp e ak in a lat e r chapte r

, .

O n the se a coa st wh e re the wind blows constantly from o n e

,

point o f the compas s t h e re are o fte n tr e e s who se bran ch e s e x

,

t e nd only in o n e d ire ction Ne arly e ve ry o n e o f thos e tre e s has

.

a story of its o wn which t e lls the re ason why t he bran ch e s se e m

to y e arn toward som e obj e ct in the dire ction toward whi ch th e y
point Thi s is a typi cal o n e :
.

In Tan g o upon a long san dy be a ch th e r e is such a pin e tre e

, , ,
-

the bran ch e s o f whi c h e xt e n d toward Miyako t he capital The ,

.

daug ht e r o f a nobl e man in Miyako was stol e n by a kidnapp e r ,

a s o ft e n happ e n e d in t he mi d dl e a e s S he was take n to Tang o

g .

and sol d to a lo cal chi e f She o ft e n stood unde r this tre e g azing
.

toward he r hom e and we e p 1ng fo r he r pare nt s The tre e fe lt .

sympathy fo r t h e poor g irl an d g radually turn e d all its bran ch e s

in t he dire ction o f he r hom e .

R oc k s furni sh similar motiv e s t o t he myth make r s The mo st .

famou s o n e is t he standin g ro ck o f Mat sura o n th e w e st e rn ,

coast o f Kyu sh u wh e n ce ship s us e d to e mbark fo r China

,
On ce .

wh e n a court nobl e was de spatch e d to China his wi fe S ayo ,

him e a ccompani e d him to Mat sura wat ch e d t he ship that car ,

ri e d he r hu sband vani sh b e yond the horizon and stood th e r e , ,

wavin g he r s car f in fare we ll , until he r fig ure was m e tam o r

p ho se d into t he ro ck which stands th e r e today and is known as
,

t he ro ck o f S ayo him e
-
A curious proj e ction o f t he ro ck is said
.

to b e the hand with which sh e wav e d him g ood bye -

.

Climatic conditions furnish u se ful mate rial fo r local l e g e nds .

Thi s is o n e o f t he stori e s con ce rning the p e rio d ical storm s that

”
vi sit Japan in autumn It is the story o f t he Hira hurri cane
.
,

Hira be ing the nam e o f t he mo untain rang e that soars above

th e w e st e rn shor e o f Lake Biwa t he larg e st lak e in Japan
,
.

O n ce upon a ti m e th e re live d a fin e young man the ke e p e r o f ,

a lig hthous e o n a promontory o n the e aste rn side o f Lake Biwa .

 C H A P TE R III

F A IR I E S , C E L E S T IA L B E IN G S ,
TH E ME N O F TH E M O U N TA IN .

I TH E S O UR CE S O F FAI R Y TAL E S
.

HE Japan e se p e opl e always b e li e ve d in the e xiste nce and

a ctivity o f spirit s, both o f natural obj e cts and o f the de ad ;
ye t curiously e noug h th e ir m ytholo g y as hande d down in
, ,

S hinto tra d ition is poorly suppli e d with fantastic b e in g s and is

,

quit e vag ue in g iving p e rsonality t o its de iti e s Many o f t he .

d e iti e s are hard ly mor e than nam e s oth e rs are wor shipp e d as
,

t he an ce stor s o f t h e various clan s an d t he stori e s about th e m are

,

take n by the p e opl e as facts rath e r than as bits o f po e ti c imag ina

tion That is chi e fly b e cause t he e arly Shinto re cords we r e com
.

pil e d as we have said in t he form o f hi stori cal narrative th e ir

, , ,

authors de siring to produce som e thin g that should rival Chin e s e

hi story in antiquity an d suppos e d auth e nti city W hat we re cog .

nize today as myth s we re o r 1g 1n ally made t o app e ar as hi stori cal

fa cts j u st as th e o ffi cial history o f China had car e fully turn e d
,

t h e racial l e g e nd s o f that p e opl e into all e g e d chroni cl e s o f pure

fact The p se udo rationalism o f the Shinto r e cords is larg e ly a

.
-

product o f Chin e se that is, o f Co n fu c1an influe n ce

, , .

It must not how e ve r be suppose d that the Japane se we re in

, ,

c apabl e o f ima g ining t he e xist e nce o f fairi e s and oth e r fantastic

be in g s W e shall find many trace s o f fairi e s an d similar be ing s

.

in the an ci e nt traditions o f the Japan e se and th e re is a ve ry co n

,

sid e rabl e sto r e of fairy stori e s in the lit e ratur e and oral tradi

tions of the p e opl e The g r e at e r part o f this sort o f fiction

.

se e ms to have be e n de rive d from Chin e se and Indian source s,

 FAI R I E S CE L ESTI AL B E I N G S
,
2 57

and the Japane se g e nius is more o ft e n shown in t he skil ful adap

tatio n o f such stori e s to lo cal c onditions th an in orig inal in

v e n tio n The strain o f Hin d u ide a s and stori e s cam e o f

.
,

c our se ,
throug h the channe l o f Budd hist lit e rature whi ch ,

d e rive d in turn from the hig hly r e fin e d Ve di c and S an skrit

lit e rature It r e a ch e d Japan chi e fly throug h Chine se tran s
.

l atio n s.

Th e Chin e s e stori e s we re mostly de rive d from non Con fucian -

source s chi e fly from t he Taoist lite ratur e In a strictly histo ri

,
.

cal study o f Japan e se fairy tal e s it would b e n e ce ssary to d is ,

t in g u ish criti cally th e se two e l e m e nts o f contin e ntal orig in from

t he small e r sto ck o f native lor e But in this work we shall co n
.

fin e ourse lve s to se tting down som e o f t he stori e s as th e y ar e

commonly c irculat e d among t he p e opl e , without c on si d e rin g

th e ir so urce s o r t he chang e s th e y have unde rg one during t he

proce ss o f a d option .

I I TH E FAI R Y MAID E N
.
—

A fairy who is quit e indig e nous to Japan is Ko n o hana - -

”
sakuya him e the Lady who cause s tre e s to bloom
—
,
- -
To he r - — -
.

we have alre ady r e fe rr e d in sp e aking o f t h e myth s o f orig ins .

S he is t he fairy o f ch e rry blo ssom s and is r e pre se nt e d as hove r

-

in g in the sk y and makin g t he ch e rry tre e s bloom probabl y by -

bre athing o n th e m H e r marriag e with t he g randchild o f t he

.

Su n g o dde s s may b e r e g arde d as an in stance o f t he marriag e of

-

a ce l e stial maide n to a human be ing .

But a mor e typi cal e xampl e o f such a union is o ffe re d in t he

story o f th e S wan maide n -
This mai d e n has no p e rsonal nam e ;
.

she is con ce iv e d t o b e a c e l e stial maide n furni sh e d with fe ath e rs

or we aring a robe o f fe ath e rs The most hig hly ide alize d v e r

.

sion o f t he story is Th e R ob e o f Fe ath e rs in o n e o f the N 6

dramas In bri e f it is as follows :
.

Once , o n a fair day a numbe r o f fairy maide ns came down

,
2 58 JAPAN E S E MYTH O L O GY
to ea rth and bath e d in a fountain , han g ing th e ir fe athe ry robe s
o n tr e e s n e ar t he pool . A man pass e d by the place and se e ing
t he b e autif u l g arm e nts took o n e o f th e m down from its tr e e .

Th e maide ns in alarm at t he intru sion fl e w o ff to t he sky ; but

t he maid e n who se rob e had b e e n tak e n could not fly away with
,

h e r companion s but had to re main on e a rth and marry t he man .

1

S h e g ave birth to a c hild, and th e n having by stratag e m r e co v

, ,

e re d h e r f e ath e ry rob e S he fl e w ba ck to H e ave n

,
.

The story is a ve rsion of the tal e O f t he Swan maide n so we ll

-

known in t he folk lore o f various nations thoug h th e re is no

-

proo f that the Japan e se sto ry was borrow e d from any oth e r p e o
p le . But in its i d e alize d ve rsion in t he N 6 drama t he maide n
is r e pr e se nt e d as o n e of t he fairi e s in att e ndanc e on t he h e ave nly
prin ce s who r e side in the Moon pala ce , an ide a cl e arly take n
from a Buddhi st story o f the moon More ove r, in this v e rsion
.

t he maid e n pr e se rve s h e r V irg inity intact , and the chi e f motive

o f t he tal e is t h e c ontra st b e tw e e n t he nobl e purity O f t h e ce l e s

tial maide n and the g re e d O f mankind The story is as fo l

.

2
lows :
It was a b e auti ful spring day A ce l e stial maide n cam e down
.

to the pin e f o re st o f Hiho a sand y b e a ch o n t he Pacifi c coast

,

wh e nce th e re is a g ran d Vi e w Of Mount Fuj i soaring into the

sky o n the oth e r side o f the wate r The maide n was charm e d
.

by the be auty o f t he place and forg ot he r h e ave nly home A .

fi sh e rman happ e n e d to pa ss by ; he p e rce ive d a miraculous sce nt

whi ch p e rfum e d t he air, and saw a wonde rful robe o f fe ath e r s
hang in g o n a pin e tr e e W hil e t he fi sh e rman was e xamining
-
.

t he rob e and wo nde rin g wh at it was , t he fairy app e are d to him

and told him that it was h e rs the rob e o f fe ath e rs whi c h was
a prop e rty o f all t he h e ave nly maide ns The g r e e d o f t he man
.

was arouse d and he rude ly re fuse d to re turn the robe The .

maide n lam e nt e d he r loss and finally p e rsuade d the fi sh e rman

to re turn the robe by dancing b e fore him o n e o f the ce l e stial
dan ce s The sce n e is de scribe d as follows :
.
2 6o J AP ANE SE MYTH O L O GY
He re i n J ap an she l i ghts ( he a v n l e ft b e hi n d )
’

T o t e ach the a r t o f dan c i ng to m an ki n d .

E e n whe n t he fe a th ry shoc
’ ’
k
i i fli i
O f fa r e s tt n g p ast w th silv ry p n ons
’
i i i
Shall w e a r a way th e gran te ro c ! i k
i i
O h, m ag c stra ns that fi ll o u r ra she d e ars! vi
i i
The fa ry S ngs, an d from t he c lo u dy sph e re s,
i i i
C h m ng n u n so n, t he a ng e ls lu te s,
’
i
b
Ta re ts a n d cym als a n d silv ry u te s,
’
b fl
i
R ng throu gh the he a v n that gl ows w th p u rp l e hu e s,
’
i
A s whe n So m e ir o s w e ste rn Slop e e n du e s
’

i
The t nts o f su nse t , W h le t he a u re wa e i z v
i i
From sl e t o sl e the p ne c lad shore s doth la e , i -
v
From U k ishim a s l o p e , — a e au te o u s to r m ,
’
S b S
i
W h rl d o wn t he fl o w r s ; a n d st ll that m ag c fo rm ,
’
i i
i i
Tho se sno wy p n ons, u tt e r ng n t he l ght, fl i i i
vi
R a sh o u r sou ls w th wond e r a n d d e l ght
”
i i .

F A IR Y
Ha i l to the kin gs that o ’
er t he m o o n ho ld sway!
He a v n is the i r ho m e ,
’
an d Bu ddhas t o o a re the y , , .

C H OR U S

The fa i ry rob e s the m a i de n s l i m bs e ndu e

’

F A IRY
A r e , l ik e the v ry h
e
’
e av n s, o f t e n d r e st
’
bl ue

C H OR U S

O r, l ik e t he m i sts o f sp ri ng , all S ilv ry wh i te ,

’

Fragrant a n d fai r, t o o fa i r f o r m o rtal si ght !

D anc e on, swe e t m a i d e n, t hrou gh the happ y hou rs !
D a nc e on, swe e t m a i de n , W hi l e t he m ag i c fl o w rs
’

i
C rown ng thy tre sse s u tt e r n t he w nd fl i i
i
R a se d by t hy wa n g p n ons in te rt w in d ! vi
’
i i
D anc e on, f o r n e e r t o m o rtal d anc e t is g e n
’ ’
iv
i
To vie w th that sw e e t danc e tho u r ng st fro m he av n ;
’ ’
bi
A n d whe n, c l o u d soar n g, thou shalt a ll t o o soo n
-
i
Hom e w ard re tu rn t o t he fu l l sh nin g m o o n -
i
Th e n he ar o u r p r ay rs, an d fro m t hy ou nte ou s hand
’
b
Pou r se v n fo l d tre asu re s on o u r hap p y land ;
’
 PL A TE XVIII
T H E FA IR I E S T H E C H E R Y B L O S SO M S P L A Y I N G
OF R

MU S I C IN U N IS ON W IT H T H E KOTO PL AY E D B Y
T H E E M P ER O R T E M M U

The c o st u me of t he s t i tin g E m p e ro r is no t o f t he

7 th ce nt ry b t o f t h
u u e l o th c e ntu ry T h fai ri s re
. e e a

de p i c t d i n t h a tt i r
e e e o f Bu dd hi st ang ls ( Te n u in )
e .

/
Se e p . 26 1 .

T a k e n fro m Yam a t o Me ir 20 Z u .
 FAI R I E S CE L E STIAL B E I NGS ,
26 1

Bl e ss ev ry a t r fr sh
’
co s ,
h p ant ng e l d,
e e e ac i fi
T ha e t art h m y sti ll h p r
a er o e r n c re ase
p y eld ! i i
Bu t a h, the ho u r, th e ho u r O f p art ng r ngs ! i i
b z
C au g ht by t he re e e , t he f a ry s m a g c w n gs
’
i i i
b
He a v n wa r d do e ar he r from the p ne c lad sho re ,
’
i -

i
Pa st U k ishim a s w de ly stre tc h n g m oor,
’
-
i
i
Past A shit ak a s h e g ht s, an d whe re a r e sp re ad
’

The e t e rnal sno ws o n Fu j iya m a s he ad,

’

i i
H g he r a n d h ghe r t o t he a u re s e s, z ki
i v
T ll wan d r in g ap o u rs h d e h e r from o u r e ye s!
’
i

Th e Azuma d ance as it is call e d is suppo se d to have its

, ,

orig in in the d an ce o f this fairy on t he be ach o f Miho an d in !

.
,

like mann e r t he G o se t o r Five Tact dance is a scribe d to

the f airi e s o f the ch e rry blossom s W h e n the E mp e ror Te m
-
.

m u who r e i g n e d in th e se v e nth ce ntury wa s playing on t he

, ,

Koto in the palace of Yoshino t he pl ace o f ch e rry blo ssom s ,

-

fiv e fairi e s app e ar e d in the sky playing on th e ir instrume nts in ,

harmony with the ro yal m usician and dan ce d be fore him the ,

dan ce o f fiv e tact s Th e re a ft e r the mu sic and the dance b e

.
,

came o ne o f the fe stivitie s r e g ularly obse rve d a ft e r e ach Im

p e rial coronation In the NO drama the chorus de scribe s t he
.
,

sce ne in th e se words
O What a wonde r !
Mu si c is he ard in the sk y ,

Mi rac u lo u s p e r fu m e s fi ll the a i r ,

Pe tal s fall from h e a v e n l i k e ra i n drop s!

A re the se not si g ns o f a p a c e fu l re i g n ? e

He ark n ! sw e t b yon d a ll i m ag inati on

e e e

So u nd a n d re so u nd i n u n i so n
Harp s an d gu i ta rs fl u te s a n d horns , ,

Be lls a n d d ru m s o f a ll ki nds; ,

A grand orche stra m a k e s harm o n i o u s the se ren e a ir ,

The soo th i ng bre e z e o f the sp ri n g .

TO th ac c o m p ani m nt o f h e av e nly m u si c
e e

C le st i al m a i d e ns danc e ho v e r i ng i n t he a i r
e , ,

Flu t t rin g the i r sl e e ve s O f f ath e rs

e e ,

Flyi ng an d wa ve ri ng am o ng the c h e rry b lossom s -

.
262 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
An oth e r story in which a fairy maide n de sce nds t o t he e arth
is that of the Lady o f Brilliancy ( Kagu ya him e ) O n e o f -
.

t he ve rsions is as follows

O nce upon a tim e an o l d man live d in the province o f Su ru g a,

wh e re is Mount Fuj i H e cultivate d bamboo tr e e s O n e
.
-
.

sprin g two ni htin al e s made th e ir n e st in his bamboo

g g g rove ,

and th e re he found a charmin g littl e infant who ca lle d h e rse l f

Kag u ya him e The o l d man took t he child and nurse d he r with
-
.

g re at a fl e ct io n W h e n she g r e w up she was the most b e auti ful

.

g irl in t he country S he was call e d to the Imp e ri al re side nce

.

and was made Prince ss consort o f the E mp e ror S e ve n ye ars

-
.

pass e d a ft e r t he marriag e and o n e day the Prince ss said to he r

husband : I am not like you a human be ing ye t a ce rtain tie has,

h e ld m e to yo u N ow my tim e o n e arth is e nding and I must

.

r e turn to my c e l e stial hom e I am sorry to l e ave yo u , but I

.

must In m e mory o f m e ke e p this mirror, in which yo u may se e

.

”
my imag e .

W ith th e se words she disapp e ar e d from his sig ht The E m .

r r mis se d his b e auti ful consort so much that he d e t e rmin e d

p e o

t o follow h e r to H e ave n According ly he climb e d to the sum

.

m it o f Fuj i t he hig h e st mountain in t he country, carrying the

,

mirror in his hands Y et wh e n he had r e ach e d the summit he

.

could find no trace o f the lo st maide n , n o r could he by any

m e ans asce nd furth e r toward H e ave n His passion was so .

3
strong that a flam e burst o u t o f his bre ast and se t the mirror
ablaze The smoke dri fte d up int o the sky and from that d ay
.
,

it continually aris e s from the summit of Fuj i .

Anoth e r ve rsion o f this story is known as The Bamboo

”
h e we r . According to this ve rsion t he old man found the tiny
irl within a bambo o st e m and wh e n she g r e w up many m e n
g ,

soug ht he r in marriag e She aske d he r suitors to achie ve som e

.

thing difficult and pro mise d t o marry the o n e who should be st

accompli sh t he ta sk assi g n e d to him Five suitors ag re e d to sub
.

mit to t he t e st and e ach was bidde n to bring a ce rtain pre cious

2 64 J AP ANE S E MYTH O L O GY
down into the se a t he se paration follows the bre akin g of a
,

promise he has made Mor e ove r, t he stay o f the human bride

.

g room in the ide al r e alm se e m s ve ry short to him but wh e n he ,

re turns to the world he finds that he has b e e n a long tim e away .

His e arthly abod e has disapp e are d and all his re lative s have
long be e n de ad This motive whi ch r e minds the re ade r o f Rip
.
,

van W inkl e s e xp e ri e nc e hints at t h e c ontra st b e t we e n t he e van

’
,

e sce n t e xi st e n ce o f manki nd and t he e ndl e ss duration o f the

i d e al li fe .

The ide a O f a world be yond o u r Own was stimulat e d by Bud

d hist and Taoi st t e a ching s an d in t he lat e r de ve lopm e nt o f th e se
,

stori e s su ch influ e n ce s ar e cl e arly to b e se e n .

Th e mo st famou s story o f thi s typ e is that O f t he fi sh e r boy

U r ashim a o r mor e prop e rly U r ashim a Tar O t he S o n o f ,
”
B e a ch I sland
-
H is native pla ce is g e n e rally lo cat e d in Tang o
.
,

o n the S e a o f Japan but som e tim e s in S umi no ye on the Inland

,
- -

S e a The Ol d e st v e rsion s ar e fo und in t he S hinto chroni cl e s and

.

‘
in an antholo g y o f the e ig hth ce ntury In the chroni cl e s his .

stay in t he world b e yond is said to hav e last e d s e ve n hundre d

ye ars and his re turn is m e ntion e d as a hi stori cal fa ct The story .

was late r conn e ct e d with t he Buddhist tradition Of the Dra g on

Palace ( R yfI g u ) and the maide n o f t he story is known as O to
-

him e , t he youn g e st daug ht e r o f the Drag on King .

Th e story in its simpl e st form is as follows : The fish e r boy

, ,

U rashim a was abroad upon the se a in his boat wh e n he saw a

young lady coming toward him Sh e wish e d to take him to he r .

hom e , and he followe d he r to a di stant re alm in the de e p wat e r ,

wh e r e stood a spl e ndid pala ce The lady was the daug ht e r o f

.

th e king and U rashim a marri e d h e r

,
Afte r thr e e ye ars o f .

happy marri e d li fe had passe d U r ashim a was se ize d by t he d e

,

sir e to se e his par e nts at hom e His wif e was too t e nde r to
.

r e sist him and on partin g g ave him a caske t which would bring
, ,

him back to the Drag on Palace o n the sol e condition that he

'

S hould n e v e r op e n it U rashim a cam e back to his n ative place

.
 FAI R I E S C E L ESTIAL B E I NG S
, 265

but found it totally chang e d To his d i smay he l e arnt that se v

.

e ral hun d r e d ye ar s had passe d since h e h ad g on e away and that

his myst e rious d isapp e aran ce had b e e n han d e d down as a tra d i

tion among the villag e rs In g r e at d istr e SS o f mind hoping to
.
,

find some solace in the caske t g ive n him by his wi fe as t he pl e dg e

o f r e turnin g to t he Dra g on Ki ng dom he op e n e d t h e lid ,
He .

was astoni sh e d to se e wisp s o f whit e smoke ri se from the caske t

and dri ft away toward the se a NO S oon e r was the c aske t e m p
.

ti e d than his whol e body was shake n by a chill ; pre se ntly his
hair g r e w whit e and he be cam e an Old man hundre ds o f ye ars ,

Old Ur ashim a di e d o n the spot and he is e nshrin e d th e re on

.

5
the coast o f Tan g o .

The story o f U r ashim a stimulat e d the inv e ntion o f various

story t e ll e r s who adde d cu rI O u s d e tail s t o t he form s o f it cr e
—

at e d by th e m O n e ve rsion probably O f the fi ft e e nth ce ntury

.
, ,

says that U r ash1m a a ft e r havin, g op e n e d t he ca sk e t was m e ta ,

m o rp h o se d into a cran e a bird whi ch 15 suppo se d to live a thou

,

sand y e ars and that he t he cran e and h is wi fe t h e to rtoi se ar e

, , , , ,

e ve n now livin
g o n inde finit e ly This tal e illustrate s a p e culi
.

ar ity o f that ag e the unwillin g n e s s o f t he p e opl e to list e n t o

stori e s that w e r e in t he l e ast tra ic in charact e r in spit e O f or

g , , ,

p e rhaps be cause o f the fact that it was a tim e Of warfare and so

,

cial disint e g ration O n the oth e r hand a mode rn write r who

.
,

has dramatize d the story de picts U r ashim a as t he typi cal re p re

se n tativ e o f t h e youth O f today who s e e ks a ft e r dr e amy ide al s
,

without be ing willing to make stre nuous e ffort or submit to

me thodical training .

A similar story conce rning the daug ht e r o f a Se a King is

a scribe d to t he g randmoth e r o f t he l e e ndary founde r o f t he
g
6
E mpir e .

H o ,
”
Hiko o h de m i the Flame fl ash, once lo st a fish hook
— - -

which he had borrowe d from his e lde r broth e r H o no susari - -

t he Flam e fade -
”
W h e n the forme r was urg e d by his
.

broth e r to re turn the hook and was trouble d as t o what he

2 66 J APANE S E MYTH O L O GY
should do , a ce rtain o ld de ity advise d him to trave l b e yond t he
se a
. Acco rdi n g ly he passe d ove r the se a in a boat and arrive d
at a pala ce built o f som e mat e rial lik e the scal e s o f fish It was .

t he r e side nce o f t he S e a King and th e r e Hiko H o ho de m i m e t a

,
—

be autiful woman She was TOyO tama him e ,

. t he Lady
- -

”
Abundance J e w e l t he daug ht e r Of t he kin g and t he king was
-

, ,

g la d to have his daug ht e r marri e d to a de ity fro m h e ave n

fo r Hiko H o h o d e m i was a de sce ndant o f t he S u n g odde ss
- -
.

A ft e r t he coupl e we r e marri e d th e y live d a happy li fe tog e th e r

fo r thr e e y e ars wh e n t he husband r e ve al e d to his fairy wife
,

that he had com e to he r r e alm in s e arch o f t he lost fish hook -

.

It was quit e an e a sy matt e r fo r his fath e r in law the rul e r o f - -

t he d e e p se a to find t h e hook, and Hiko H o h o d e m i th e r e upo n

,
-

j ourn e ye d ba ck with it to his hom e land followe d by his W ife

-

, .

NO W a fte r th e y had com e to t he t e rr e strial abode , the fairy

,

wi fe g ave birth to a son B e fore t he de live ry t he moth e r ac

.
,

cor d ing to custom was tak e n to a cottag e sp e cially built for t he

,

occasion The wi fe a sk e d the husband not to look into t he co t

.

tag e at t he mome nt o f birt h b e cause she must th e n take o n he r

ori g inal shap e o f a woman drag on In spite o f his promise t he
-
.
,

husband p e e p ed into t he c ottag e and so t he wife l e ft he r hus

,

han d and child and re turne d to he r hom e b e yond t he se a .

The Buddhist and Taoi st influ e nce s w e re o f mom e ntous im

portan ce in the de ve lopm e nt o f fairy lore in Japan , and the
primitive conce ptions of ide al o r fantastic e xist e n ce s we re by
those influe n ce s made much more de finit e a n d e laborat e In .

g e n e ral the Buddhi st importation s we r e of t wo c at e g ori e s o n e ,

be ing t he D e v atas ( Japan e se Te n n yo o r Te nn in the h e ave nly ,

maide ns ) , who hove r in the sk y and t he oth e r t he Nag as ,

( Japan e se RyIIj m o r drag on spirits ) who re side in t he de e p

'

, ,

se a. The Chin e s e o r Taoi st lit e ratur e introduce d the Hsi e n

( Japan e s e S e nnin ) lit e rally ,
t he M e n o f t h e Mountains ,
”
who

ar e se mi ce l e sti a
— l b e in g s mo stly o f human orig in and who p e r
, ,
7
form mag ic fe ats and live immortal live s Th e s e immortals .
26 8 J AP AN E SE MYTH O L O GY
t u ry such confusions are common in folk lor e as we ll as in art
-

an d r e li g ion
.

The Hindu Nag a is a cr e ature who live s in the de e p se a and

whos e body is con ce ive d to be like that O f a se rp e nt In Bud .

d hist books som e Nag a tribe s are said to live amon g the moun
tains, b ut th e y are always spoke n o f as g uardians o f wat e r .

W h e th e r o r not the Japane s e story o f the Se a g o d is a product

-

o f Hindu influ e nc e , t he conce ption o f R yu j in the Dra on

g go d,
-

was ve ry e arly amal g amat e d with that o f t he Se a g o d and the -

latt e r the fath e r o f Lady Abundance J e we l was ofte n id e n ti

,
-

fie d with S ag ara, o n e o f the Hindu Nag a kin g s The R yuj in s .

inhabit the de e p se a, wh e re th e re stands a spl e ndid palace built

o f coral and c rystal , and wh e r e t he Drag on Kin g , R yu W O rul e s -

, .

The Drag o n King has a human body, thoug h he we ars a se rp e nt

o n his crown , but his r e tain e rs ar e s e rp e nts fi sh e s and oth e r ma
,

rin e monst e rs The Drag on King is a nobl e and wi se be ing

.
,

the g uar d ian o f Buddha s r e li g ion and o f Bud dhists But his
’
.

be n e vol e nce is o ft e n de fe at e d by the silly o r malicious conduct

o f his i g norant kinsfolk, and on this account t he drag o n world is

som e time s e n g ag e d in warfare with the h e ave nly king s The .

drag on trib e s are al so be lie ve d to have the rain and t he storm in

charg e So stori e s are re p e ate dly told O f W ise Buddhist prie sts
.

who can control th e se marin e mon st e rs and cause th e m to g ive

rain in tim e o f droug ht , o r o f Buddhist pilg rims and mission
ari e s sailing b e tw e e n Japan an d China who command the
drag ons to qui e t t he roug h se a, o r o f a Buddhist ze alo t waiting ,

fo r the app e arance o f t h e future Buddha and m e tamorphos ed

,

into a drag on and living o n inde finite ly be n e ath t he wate r .

The most conspicuou s fi g ure o f the sort in folk lore is a -

daug ht e r o f t he Drag on King H e r Japan e se nam e is B e nte n ,

.

t he Hindu Sarasvat i S he is b e li e v e d to be t he g uardian o f

'

music and public sp e aking and also the g ive r o f we alth She is .

re pre s e nte d as a Hindu g odde ss clad in vari e g ate d robe s with

,

long sl e e ve s and with a j e we l in he r cro wn Some time s she is

.
 FAI R I E S ,
CE L E STI A L B E I N GS 269

said to have app e are d in p e rson to a famous musician , some tim e s

in re sponse to the praye r o f a piou s Bud dhist fo r w e alth so me ,

tim e s in the shap e o f a be auti ful woman she attracts t he love O f

'

human be ing s She partake s o f the nature o f a ce l e stial maide n

.

as W e ll as that O f a Drag on Prin ce s s and S he is oft e n id e ntifi e d

with ce rtain g odde sse s o f t he se a in the Old mytholo g y She is .

worshipp e d at many be auti ful spots o n t he se a coast The re p .

r e se n t at io n o f h e r app e arin g from w a ve s re minds o ne o f the

classic myth s o f Ve nus and he r constant ass oc iation with a musi
,

cal instrume nt oiwa ( Sanskrit vin a a kind o f banj o ) adds he r

, ,

t o t he company o f t he Mu se s H e r wor ship has be e n v e ry

.

popular sin ce t he twe l fth ce ntury, and in lat e r tim e s she cam e
to be re g ard e d as o n e o f t he se ve n de iti e s o f g ood fortune o f
whom we shall h e ar more .

Many local l e g e nds clu st e r about he r and he r shrin e s The .

mo st famous o f t he shrin e s de dicate d to he r is that o f I tsu k u

”
shima or Miya j ima, t he I sl e of the Te mpl e we ll kn own
,
-

t o tourists as t he i sl e W h e re n e ith e r birth nor de ath was p e r

m itte d t o take pl ace a sort o f Japan e se E lysiu m The island .

is situat e d in the Inland Se a and a shrin e de d i ca t e d to a Se a

g odd e ss has stoo d o n its b e ach since tim e imm e morial Late r it .

was e nlarg e d and adapte d to the worship of B e nte n , who had

com e to b e ide ntifi e d with the orig inal S ea g o d de ss The pre s
-
.

e n t t e mple is e xtr e m e ly curious and b e auti fu l It con si sts Of a

.

g roup o f building s an d g all e ri e s standin g o n a sandy b e ach

,

upon which the tide rise s until t he e difice s app e ar as if th e y

floate d o n the wat e r a ve ritabl e imag e o f t he D rag on Palace .

Al ong the g all e ri e s hang rows o f iron lant e rn s and th e ir lig ht ,

is re fl e ct e d in t he se a be low whil e the sacre d de e r roam about

,

o n t he be ach n e ar t o the t e mpl e wh e n t he wat e r is l o w The

, , .

st e e p and rock
y h e ig hts o f t he island rise be hind th e t e mpl e ,
furnishin g a S ple ndid backg round fo r t he picture sque and g race
fu l Drag on Palace The man who conce ive d the ide a o f co m
.

bining the g rande ur of nature with the be au ty o f archit e ctu re ,

27o JAP ANE S E MYTH O L O GY
and who e mbodi e d the story o f the Drag on Palace i n the wor

/
ship o f the Drag on Prin ce ss was Kiyomori the military dicta
, ,

tor o f the twe l fth ce ntury an d the h e ro of the e pic H e i e e

M o n o g at a ri
.

W hil e Kiyomori was t he g ove rnor o f the province in which

thi s i sland is situat e d he o n e day we nt forth upon t he S e a and
,

saw a tiny boat approachin

g his boat It was a boat of sh e ll
.

which shon e with t he lustr e o f p e arl , and it hoi ste d a sc arl e t sail
O f fi n e satin . Th e re in thre e fairy like ladi e s w e re s e e n Kiyo
-

mori r e ce ive d th e se ladi e s with g re at re ve r e n ce , and th e y told

him that th e y w e r e B e nte n ( or t he an ci e nt Japan e s e Ichiki
shima him e ) and h e r two si st e rs
-
Th e y promise d the warrior an
.

e xtraordinarily fortunat e car e e r if h e should e nlar e t he t e m

, g
p l e and r e n e w t he wor ship o f t he de iti e s H e haste n e d t o ob e y
.

th e ir command, and from that t1m e Kiyo m o ri s family has al ’

ways born e t he scarl e t e nsig n whi ch on ce float e d in m aste ry

,
‘

ove r the W hol e o f Japan .

An oth e r spot famous fo r the worship o f B e nt e n is Chik u bu

shima in Lake Biwa . The i sland ri se s st e e ply from t he wate r
and its cli ffs ar e ove rg rown with e ve rg re e ns The po e ts are .

n e ve r tire d o f Sing ing o f its be auty and popular fancy attri but e s
,

all sort s o f fairy won d e rs to the place Th e r e stands a shrin e .

de di cate d to B e nt e n whose musi c is h e ard in the wave s and

,

rippl e s that be at ag ain st t he ro cky cli ffs, and who se imag e i s se e n

hov e ring in the sky wh e n the moon tran sforms the i sland and
its surrounding s into a r e alm o f S ilve ry li g ht It is said that, o n .

a ce rtain day in sprin g , wh e n t he full moon is in the sk y all the ,

d e iti e s and fairi e s o f the count r y m e e t at Chik u bu shima and -

make up a g r e at orch e stra O n e folk tal e conn e cte d with this

.

‘
—

c onc e rt o f t he g ods is about a boy who was som e how trans

formed into a fairy b e ing an d adde d to the company H e dis .

app e are d l e aving with his foste r fath e r the instrum e nt which
,
-

he use d to play N aturally e noug h , mu si cian s d e e m it a g re at

.

honour t o practise th e ir art at Chik u bu shima ; and o ne is said to

-
272 J AP ANE S E MYTH O L O GY
Fuj i wara family The ship th at car ri e d the tre asure s to Japan
.

“
e ncount e re d a t e rribl e storm as it approach e d the c oast o f Sanuki
, ,

in the Inland Se a The storm aro se with myste riou s sudde n

.

n e ss and it subside d as sudde nly W h e n the storm had pass e d,

.

t h e captain o f t he ship noti ce d that o n e o f t he tre asure s was

missing This was a crystal in which the imag e o f Buddha was

.

p e rp e tually re fl e ct e d The oth e r tr e asur e s we r e sa fe ly trans

.

fe rr e d to the t e mpl e , an d th e n Fu b ito t he chi e f o f the Fu ,

i
j wara family be g an to con side r how to r e c ove r the lost crystal
,
.

H e stron g ly susp e cte d that it had b e e n stol e n by the Drag on ~

Kin g who had b e e n g uilty o f a similar O ffe nce o n o th e r

,

occa sions .

S o Fu bit o w e nt down to t he coast o f Sanuki and hir e d all t he

d ive rs o f the provinc e to s e ar ch for the lo st tre asure N on e o f .

th e m was succe ss ful and Fu b ito had aban d on e d all hop e o f

,

finding the crystal wh e n a poor fishe r woman b e gg e d that she

,
-

mig ht try The r e ward she a ske d was to have he r only child
.
8

broug ht up in the nobl e family O f Fuj iwara if she should find ,

th e d ivin e crystal N0 o n e b e li e ve d She co uld succ e e d, but she

.

was p e rmitt e d t o try .

S he div e d i nto the wat e r and sank down and down until she
cam e in sig ht o f th e Dr ag on Pala ce and saw the crystal g l e am
in g o n t he top o f a tow e r The tow e r was surrounde d by vari
.

o u s kinds o f se a mon st e rs and at fir st S he saw no way o f g e ttin g

,

at the crystal But fortunat e ly t he g uards we re asl e e p and t he

. :
,

fi she r woman audaciously climb e d to t h e top o f t he towe r S he

-
.

s e ize d the crystal and tri e d to swim away but the g uards awoke ,

and pursu e d he r so close ly that she co uld not e scap e S udde nly .

it occurre d to he r that blood was abhorre nt to th e se se a monst e rs

and kinsfolk Of t he Drag on King She stabbe d h e rs e l f, and the
.

se a monst e rs w e r e afraid to pursu e he r any furth e r throug h

t he bloody wat e r W h e n t he man above pull e d he r up o u t o f

.

t he se a by t he lon g rop e that was ti e d about he r wai st she was ,

at the point o f de ath , but the tre asur e was found hidde n in he r
 FAI R I E S, C E L E STI AL B E I NGS 27 3

bosom . So the tre asur e was re cove re d by the w o man who sac
r i fice d h e r li fe fo r h e r child .

The child the story g o e s o n to say was a d opt e d by Fu bito ;

, ,

he b e cam e the famo us stat e sman Fu sazak i an d built a Buddhist

t e mpl e at t he spot in m e mory o f his moth e r The t e mpl e .

9
stands th e re to this day .

W e may add anoth e r story to illustrat e t he natur e o f t he

Drag on King as the g uardian o f Buddhism a s w e ll as o f the se a
route In the Middl e Ag e s many pious pri e sts att e mpt e d to g o
.
,

ove r to China and furthe r t o India but only a fe w succe e de d in,

re aching China and no n e g o t as far as India No w a monk b e .

, ,

ing de sirous o f vi sitin g the hom e l and o f Buddhi sm pas se d se v

-

e ral nig hts at th e shrin e O f Ka su g a in prayin g for th e sa fe ty o f

t he j ourn e y. O n e nig ht a Drag on King g uardin g t he Ka sug a

shrin e app e are d to him and p e r sua d e d him to abandon t h e plan ,

be cause t he sce n e o f B uddha s se rmon o n Vu l ture P e ak could b e

’

shown by him in vision The p ri e st compli e d with t he coun s e l

.

and was shown t he vision .

In fe rior to the Drag on tribe but like th e m , a de nize n o f the

,

se a is Nin g yo H e r h e ad is that o f a
10
, ,
t he Fi sh e r woman -
.

woman with long hair but he r body is that o f a fish This m e r .

maid like cre ature O fte n app e ars to human b e ing s in orde r t o
.

g ive th e m advice o r warnin g P e arls are said t o be he r t e ars

.
,

and according to o n e tal e a fi sh e rman who caug ht he r in his n e t ,

but se t he r fre e re ce ive d he r t e ars as a re ward which fill e d a

,

caske t with p e arls An oth e r be li e f about her is that a woma n

.

W ho e ats o f he r fl e sh g ain s p e rp e tual youth an d be auty, and

stori e s ar e told O f wom e n who w e re fortunat e e nou h t o have a
g
taste o f that miraculous food .

An oth e r fairy like be ing o f marin e o ri g in is t he Sh Oj O;

-

thoug h he do e s n o t actually be long to the se a but is b e li e ve d t o

c om e across it to Japan Probably he is an ide alize d p e rso n ifi
.

cation Of the oran g outang which is native n e ith e r t o China nor

-

to Japan , thoug h o cc asion al sp e cime ns have , in o n e way o r an

2 74 JAPA NE S E MYTH O L O GY
oth e r found th e ir way thith e r The ShOj O is a m e rry e m b o di
, .

m e nt o f E pi cur e anism who de rivin g his chi e f pl e asure from

, ,

p e rp e tual drinking is th e re for e re g ar d e d as the g e nius o f J ak e

,
'

b e e r His face is r e d or s carl e t and boyi sh in app e arance His

. .

long r e d hair han g s down n e arly to his fe e t ; he has a dipp e r

for ladling sak e we ars g audy dre ss e s o f r e d an d g old and
’

, ,

dance s a sort o f ba cchanalian dance .

Th e r e are no de finit e stori e s about th e se cre ature s but a ,

g roup o f two or thre e S hOj O is o ft e n de p i ct e d i n p i cture s o r

mode ll e d in littl e statu e s; and th e ir charact e ri stic danc e is p e r
form e d to th e a ccompanim e nt o f ch oral son g s whi ch p rai se
th e m and the d rink th e y love .

I V TH E TA O IST I M M O R TALS
.

Ne xt l e t us con side r the S e nnin the Man o f the Moun,

”
tain t he ide al man O f Taoist mysti cism as he is modifi e d by
, ,

t he popular imag ination o f the Japan e se Th e Se nn in s ar e be

.

l ie v e d to p e r form sup e rnatural fe at s; th e y can fly throug h the

air e j e cting th e ir o wn imag e s from th e ir mouths walk upon the
, ,

wave s o f the se a produce a horse from a mag i c g ourd summon

, ,

myst e rious animals at will o u t o f vacan cy, and so forth But .

t he e sse ntial thing about th e m is that t he y ar e b e yond t h e e ffe ct

o f worldly chan e and commotion and e nj oy immortal live s i n

g
bliss ful se r e nity and total e man cipation from care Th e y are .

ide al re clus e s who have passe d be yond all human limitation s

and ar e in p e rfe ct communion with natur e ; the m e n in whom
t h e ma crocosmos is e mbodi e d and who ar e th e r e for e t h e tru e -

”
childr e n o f natur e .

Th e y are variously said to hav e th e ir hom e amidst som e dis

tant mountains o r in the happy islands o r e ve n in the sky itse l f
, , ,

and th e ir asse mbly is conce ive d to be like a m e e tin g of po e ts o r

of fr e e talke rs But t he Se nn in s are p re e min e ntly indi
”
.
-

v idu alists, an d e v e n wh e n th e y f e ast to g e th e r e ach O f th e m is

,
27 6 J A NE SE
AP MYTH O L O GY
”
powe r Gama S e nnin o r the Toad Mast e r, has the p owe r
.
,
-

o f producin g any numb e r o f toads and o f ridin

g o n th e m
throug h the sky .

Th e se and many oth e r Chin e se Se n n in s we r e importe d into

Japan wh e re th e y are mor e oft e n re pre se nte d in painting than
ce l e brat e d in folk lor e But Japan also produ ce d its o wn S e n
-
.

n in s . The mo st conspi cuous o f th e m is E n no O zuna kn own as - -

,
”
Gyoj a o r t he Asc e tic Ma st e r
, G yoj a is t he mythic fi g ur e o f
.

a famous asce tic who di sciplin e d himse l f among mountains in

t he e ig hth c e ntury H e is said to have built a ro cky bridg e
.

from o n e mountain to anoth e r by e n forcing t he se rvice o f g ods

,

and spirits, de mons and g oblins During this work t he g e nius

.
,

o f o n e o f th e mountain s conn e ct e d by t he bridg e re fus e d t o

obe y Gyoj a s command be cause h e was so ug ly that he h e sitat e d

’
,

to app e ar amon g the oth e r spirit s Gyoj a punish e d the diso .

be di e nt spirit by shutting him up in a cave in which he is co n ,

fin e d to this day This story p e rhaps re fe rs to that stag e in the

.

re li g ious histo ry o f Japan , wh e n t he Taoist Buddhist ide al -

was g e tting the b e tt e r o f t he old native be lie fs Furth e r, it is .

said that Gyoj a was conde mn e d by t he g ov e rnm e nt authoriti e s

as a mag i cian and during his e xile he p e rform e d a numbe r o f

,

sup e rnatural f e ats Th is typi cal Japane se S e nnin still e xe rts a

.
‘

ce rtain sp e ll ove r t he popular imag ination and his imag e is t o ,

b e se e n in many a cave , s e at e d o n a chair with a sta ff in his hand .

According to the u sual be li e f howe ve r, the S e n nin s are in

,

dang e r o f losing th e ir sup e rnatural powe rs if th e y are t e mpt e d

to yi e ld to human pas sion s, as was Ik k ak u S e nnin , the O n e
” ‘
H e pass e d throug h a long trainin g and g ain e d t he
1
horn e d .

powe r o f p e rforming miracl e s H e was once e ng ag e d in strife

.

with the Drag on tribe and confin e d th e m all within a cave As .

a r e sult n o rain fe ll be cause rain is controll e d by the Drag ons

and the whol e land su ffe re d from a disastrous droug ht .

No w the kin g o f the land B e nar e s l e arn e d the cause o f the

, ,

calamity, and contrive d a stratag e m to t e mpt the powe rful Se n

 PL A T E S X I X XX XX I , ,

A GRO U P OF T H REE P IC T U RE S R E P RE S E N T I N G T H E
R EA LM OF T H E T A O IS T I M M OR TA LS ( S nnin ) e

A la dy m m o rta l I r i ding on t h m ythi al p

e c k e a co c ,

hé w o
'

i
A p a lac e stan d n g o n h g h t e rra c e s a n d c o m m an d i
i i
in g a w d e V e w o f m o u n ta ns an d wate rs, W he re t he i
Im m o r ta s ar el t ri g
g a he n .

A m a le Im m o rt l c all d Kinko S nnin ri d ing o n

a ,
e e ,

a Ch in e se d ra g n the sym b o l o f i n fi n i ty
o ,
S e pp . e .

2 74 ff .

By Kan o Se sh i in ( 1 8 th nt ry? ce u In in
p o sse ss o
o f Mu se u m o f F i n A rt B ton
e s, os .
27 8 J AP A NE S E M YT H O L OGY
p e r form the fe at, but his a ssurance prove d to b e a de lusion and
he was kill e d Y e t th e se miracl e mong e rs ar e o ft e n r e ve re d by
.
—

th e common p e opl e and stori e s about th e m ar e in ve r y fre qu e nt

circulation .

The Me n o f the Mountain se l f su ffi cie n t as th e y w e re had

,
-

th e ir o wn soci e ty Th e ir m e e tin g s we re o ft e n pi ctorially r e p re

.

s e nt e d ( Plat e s XX and XX I ) Th e s e we re suppo se d to o c

. .

cu r in an ide al r e g ion c all e d S e n k yo t he re alm o f the S e nn ins a

, ,

r e g ion among the mountains wh e re pin e tr e e s symbolic o f lon —

g e vity g row soarin g to t he h e ave n s an d wh e re t e rrac e s co m ,

mand wide vi e ws that co rre spond to t he fre e and spacious minds

of the S e nn in s Th e re th e y e xchang e opinion s compos e po e ms
.
, ,

play music o r e ng ag e in m e ditation This ide al r e alm was the.

paradis e o f the Taoists but unlike the Buddhist paradi se , it is

,

n o t a shinin
g or re spl e nde nt world It is only an ide ally be auti
.

fu l spot inhabit e d by tho se immortal s who form a co mmunity ,

o f th e ir o wn but ar e not so W e ll org aniz e d and unit e d as thos e

,

who d we ll in the Buddhist paradise s .

Th e S e n k yo was oft e n de pict e d in picture s which in turn stim

u l ate d po e tic imag ination in the Japan e se to dr e ams o f ide al

s e re nity and a loo fn e ss, o f total e man cipation from all worldly
anxi e tie s o f immo rtal fe licity and o f fr e e dom from illne ss and
,

de ath Many Japane se Buddhists, who we r e much imbue d

.

with Taoist doctrin e s att e mpte d to copy t he id e al li fe o f the

,
’

immortals Th e y imitat e d the g athe r in g o f t he immortals in

.

t h e te a party o f a p e culiarly qui e t and cont e mplative typ e , o r

—

in m e e tin g s fo r fre e conve rsation and rhyming c omp e tition, and

th e y plann e d th e ir abode s and g arde ns in imitation o f the ide al
13
S e n k yo .In short the con ce ption o f the Se n k yo was a source
,

o f r e al inspiration t o t he folk lore and the a e sth e ticism o f t he

-

Japan e se .

It was in t he fourt e e nth and fift e e nth ce nturi e s that t he Chi

n e se ide as o f t he S e nnin and the Se nk yo found wi d e st circula
tion in Japan an d b e came a ssimilat e d with the popular be lie fs
 FAI R I E S C E L E STI AL B E I NG S
, 2 79

o f t he Japan e se That p e riod was an ag e o f e cl e cti ci sm an d

.
,

j ust as the Budd hist s r e a d ily abs orbe d the Taoi st i d e als o f li fe ,

so t h e S hintoi st s no lon g e r c l e arly d i stin g ui sh e d th e ir o wn ide as

and traditions from Bu d dhist conce ption s This t e nd e n cy r e .

su l te d in t he e stabli shm e nt o f a g r oup o f de iti e s o r immortal s , ,

who we r e r e g ard e d as t h e patron g e nii o f fortun e and lon ge vity ,

and we re take n from all availabl e source s The g roup und e r .

we nt se ve ral chang e s but toward the e n d o f t he sixt e e nth ce n

,

tury it fe ll into a de finit e arrang e me nt and b e cam e known as

t he S e ve n D e iti e s o f Good Fortun e ( Shichi Fu k u j in ) .

Th e s e de iti e s are
I . E bisu orig inally th e mi scarri e d so n o f t he prim e val d e
,
M
itie s who was like a j e lly fish is modifi e d to a m e rry patron
, ,

of
g ood fortun e H e has a round whit e face with a p e rp e tual
.

smil e In his rig ht hand he carri e s a fishin g ro d with which he

.
-

cat ch e s t he se a bre am , t he fish that is re g arde d as symbolic o f

-

g ood luck .

”
2 Daikoku
. t he Gr e at Bla ck D e ity
,
who was a m o d ifica ,

tion o f t he Hindu Mah a k ztla, was combin e d with the Japa 15

'

”
n e se O kuni nushi-
the Gr e at Land Mast e r
—
,
whos e name - -

, ,

writte n in Chin e s e ide o g rams was pronoun ce d like Daikoku , .

This de ity is re pr e se nt e d as a dark skinne d stout man with a —

,

smilin g fa ce H e b e ars a b ag o n his shoulde r and a mall e t in

.

his ri g ht hand H e stands o n two ri ce bag s which to g e th e r

.
, ,
.

with t he bag o n his shoulde r symbolize an in e x haustibl e source ,

o f w e alth and t h e mall e t is al so b e li e v e d to pro d u ce anythin

, g
wish e d fo r by his worshipp e rs The rat is the animal asso ciat e d .

with Daikoku .

i t he Buddhi st Vaisrav an a is t he g uardian o f

'

3 . B sham o n , ,

the north who subj ug at e s t he d e vil s and prot e ct s t h e r i g ht e ous

, .

In popular thoug ht he is t he g ive r o f we alth and t he Buddhi st ,

shrine in his rig ht hand is suppo se d t o contain mon e y H e is .

associate d in picture s and folk lore with the ce ntip e de -

.

B e nt e n whom we have s e e n as a fairy is the only fe mal e

, ,
2 8o JAP A N E S E M YT H O L OGY
fi g ure in the g roup 5 she is r e g arde d as the patron o f f e mal e
be auty as we ll as o f we alth H e r m e sse ng e r is t he whit e se r
.

p e nt .

5 Fuku roku j u o r
.
— -

,
the g e niu s o f Fortun e W e alth Lon — -

”
g e v ity is a Chin e se fi g ur e said to have b e e n on ce a Taoist sa g e
, .

H e is al so spoke n o f as an in carnation o f the south e rn pol e stars .

H e has a sin g ularly lon g h e ad whi ch is b e li e ve d to b e e mbl e m

-

atic o f all that he g iv e s to mankin d H e is always a ccompani e d

.

by the whit e cran e , symboli c O f long e vity .

6 Ju r éj in , t he Ag e d Man o f Lon g e vity, is also a Taoi st

.
-
”

immortal and a patron o f long life A dark brown de e r is his .

-

animal and he wan de rs among the tre e s and g ra sse s which are ,

symboli c o f h e alth and lon g li fe .

Hot e i t he love r o f c hildr e n is a fat monk who is b e li e ve d

7 .
, ,

orig i nally to have live d in China H e is an e mbodime nt of .

ch e e r fuln e ss and is always playing with childre n whom he

, ,

som e tim e s take s about in the bag which he carri e s His bag is .

al so said to contain many tre asure s which he be stows on those

who n e ve r worry about t he troubl e s o f t his li fe .

In thi s g roup o f de iti e s o r immortals we h ave a combination

, ,

o f mythi cal fi g ur e s o f Hindu Chin e se and Japane se o rigi n

, ,

which have b e e n a g ood d e al vul g arize d by t he popular de sire

fo r ri ch e s and g ood fortun e Th e s e de iti e s have th e ir worship
.

p e rs but th e y are not always tre at e d with re sp e ct Th e y ar e

,
.

o fte n mad e t he subj e cts o f comic re pr e s e ntations, pictorial o r

th e atri cal , and are favourit e th e m e s fo r folk song The Japan -
.

e se g e niu s fo r c h e e r fuln e ss and m e rry makin g has made p o s

-

sibl e t h e curiou sly contradi ctory a sp e cts in which t he s e v e n d e

iti e s app e ar both in art and lit e rature .

 PL A T E S XX III XX I V XXV XXVI , , ,

UZ U ME AN D T H E S E V E N D E IT I E S OF G OO D
FO RT U N E
U z u m e is the g o dd e ss, o r f e m a l e ge n u s, o f che e r i
f u ln e ss, fa m o u s a s t he o n e who d an c e d b e fo re t he
‘

H e a v e n ly C a v e an d i nd
d th e Su n g o dd e ss t o c o m e
u ce -

ou t . H e re she is m a d e c o m p an o n o f t he se e n D e t e s i v ii
o f g o o d fo r u t n e, w ho a re a rraye d in t he p i c tu r e fro m
t
l e f to r gh i t s a fo llo ws —
U zu m e , E bi su ,
Be nte n,

J u -
ré
j in , D a ik ko u ,
Fu k rk u -
o u -

ju ,
Ho ti e an d B sha i
m on . The w ho l e com
p a y is n r p re se nte d
e at a me rry
b an
q ue t . Se e p . 2 79 .

zn
By Ka a ,
a sol kn wn s o a To shu ( e a rly 1 9th
ce n t y) In ur .
p o sse s si n f Mo o u se u m o f F in e A rts,
B o st o n .

T H E S E V E N D E IT I E s OF G OO D FO RT U N E IN

LA N ES
DS C A P

Da ik k o u i in g i n
s tt a cott g fi ll d w i th i
a e e r ce , an d
Ho t e i tre ad ing f t p a oo -
a th w i th t w hi ldr n o c e .

E bi su fi hi g in b t
s n a oa an d Bisha m o n a
pp e aring on

a c ou l d l
c o se t o a w a te r fa l l .

ro k j fl ying o n a c ran Ju r OJm si tting i n

Fu k u -
u — u e, -

a p vi l i o n nd B n t n p laying m u si c o n t he w at r
a ,
a e e e

si d w h r a dra g o n a pp ars S p 2 7 9
e, e e e . ee . .

Th who l g ro p is d p i c t d i n f int c h
e e f t he u e e a a e o o

c l ssi c styl
a o f th Kan o A c a d m y an d a d ap t d t o t he
e e e e

p p l r t st
o u f th age
a a e o e .

By K n o Yose m lso kn w n s Ko r n o b u ( d i e d
a ,
a o a e

In p o sse ssi o n o f M s u m f Fin A rts u e o e ,

Bo sto n .
 C H A PTE R IV

D E M O N S , V A MPI R ES A N D O TH E R
G H O S TL Y B E I N G S

HE Japan e se adopte d t he Buddhist ang e ls and the Taoist

immortals with ve ry littl e modifi cation , but it was oth e r
wise with the de mon s an d oth e r g ho stly be ing s that w e re take n
ove r from Hin d u o r Chin e se source s and it is oft e n e xtr e me ly
,

d ifficult to tra ce t he ide ntity o f such con ce ptions It is a fact ,

.

howe ve r that t he e vil sp i rit s o f the a n ci e nt native mytholo gy

,

Al
1
ar e vag u e and sha d o wy obj e c t s hardly more than nam e s .
,

most all the de mons o r g ho stly be ing s in Japan e se folk lore are -

o f for e i n ori in thou h Japa ima ination h s shap e d

g g g ,
n e se g a

th e m into forms quit e unlike those whi ch th e y wore in oth e r

lands .

Cre ature s o f thi s sort may b e divi d e d into thr e e classe s ,

thoug h the line s be twe e n t he cla sse s are in many case s obsc ure .

Th e y are :
I
. Ghosts pure and simpl e whi ch ar e de t e riorat e d form s o f
, ,

wande ring human soul s .

2
. D e mon s be ing s o f in fe rnal ori g in cre ate d to chasti se t he
, ,

wi cke d but o fte n bu sy in pure mischi e f an d th e n almo st comic

,

in chara cte r .

3 Ae rial vampire s call e d T e n g u and similar furious spirits

.
, ,

that rag e in t he air .

It may be e xp e d ie nt at thi s point to say som e thing mor e co n

ce rning the Bud dhi st d octrin e a bout t he tran smig ration o f t he
soul B e sid e s the four sup e rior stage s o n t he way to Buddha
.

hood th e r e are va ri ous cla sse s o f in fe rior unp e rfe cte d spirits
, .

The hi g h e st o f th e m inhabit the h e ave ns ( D e va ) O f the se

.
282 JAP A N E S E M YT H O L OGY
l tial or ang e lic b e in g s we have alre ady spoke n Th e se
ce e s , .

h e ave ns ar e not to be mi stake n for paradise s be cause th e ir cc ,

l e stial inhabitants ar e subj e ct t o chang e and de cay Ne xt com e s .

mankind, who se in fe rior soul s be com e in turn the hung ry g ho sts

( Japan e se Gaki S ansk rit Pre t a) Som e o f th e se g hosts are
, .

m e re ly torm e nt e d by p e rp e tual hung e r and thirst but som e ,

oth e rs are ve ng e ful spirits who roam about t he world and do

e vil to tho se whom th e y hav e ca u se to hat e or e ve n to quit e in
,

noce nt p e rson s The n e xt cla ss are the Asura o r furious spirits

.
, . ,

crue l and arro g ant an d much mor e powe r ful than ordinary
,

g host s Th e se ar e u sually t h e re born p e rs

. onaliti e s of tho se who
die d in battle ; e ag e r fo r r e ve n g e th e y hove r in the sk y fig htin g ,

among th e mse lve s, o r atta cking those human b e ing s who we re

th e ir e n e mi e s The lowe st orde r of e xi st e nce is found in the
.

in fe rnal re g ions ( Naraka ) The S pirits born in this dark pla ce

.

app e ar rare ly in t he world ; but the d e vil o r O ni who i nhabits , ,

t he h e lls plays a con sid e rabl e part in popular folk lore -

.

I TH E D EV IL
.

The O ni rang e from ant who may de vour the whol e

t he gi
world throug h o g re s and vampire s to the little g oblin like
, ,
-

mi schi e f mak e rs But t he Japan e se usually think o f an O ni as

-
.

an ug ly and hide ous de vil who com e s up from t he in fe rnal r e

,

g i o ns, to drag down sinn e rs to t he h e lls , to puni sh wicke d m e n

who ar e still alive o r to t e rri fym e n o f bad dispo sition
,
H is .

body vari e s as to its colour , it m ay be blu e , pink o r g re y ; ,

his face is flat, his wide mouth stre tch e s from e ar to e ar O n his .

h e ad g row horns 3 he has o ft e n a third e ye o n his fore h e ad , his

fe e t have thr e e to e s with pointe d nails and his fin g e rs ar e also
,

thre e in numb e r H e is n e arly nak e d and his loin cloth is made

.
-

o f t he skin o f a ti g e r H e can walk abo ut t he world o r fly

.

throug h the air In his rig ht hand he oft e n carri e s a big iro n
.

r o d furnish e d with sharp spike s .

2 84 JAP A N E SE M YT H O L OGY
part e d, t he O ni aske d him t o com e ag ain anothe r nig h t and
show th e m more o f his art The o ld man conse nt e d, but the
.

de vils insist e d o n a pl e d g e Th e y mig ht have take n his nose

.

o r e ars but de cide d to take t he lump o n his ri g ht c h e e k , for he

3
,

ma de th e m be li e ve that was t he thing he was most loth to part

with .

W h e n the o ld man g o t home to his villag e the p e opl e we r e

,

amaze d to se e the lump g on e from his ch e e k and t he story soon

,

circulate d throug h the whol e communi ty No w the re was an .

oth e r o ld man in the sam e villag e who had a lump o n his l e ft

ch e e k H e arin g the wonde r ful story, this man wish e d that t he
.

de vils mi g ht re mov e his lump in the sam e way The following .

nig ht h e w e nt to the mountain as h e had be e n instruct e d, and

,

wait e d for the coming o f t he de vils Th e y cam e as be for e and

.

be g an t o e at and drink and dance The o ld man cre pt o u t o f

.

his sh e lt e r timidly and tri e d to dan ce But he was n o dance r

.
,

and the de vils soon saw by his awkward move me nts that he was
no match fo r the man who had dance d for th e m t he nig ht b e
for e Th e y we r e ve ry ang ry , th e y se ize d t he o ld man and con
.

su l te d amon g th e ms e lv e s how th e y should punish him fo r his

‘

imp e rtin e nce Th e y finally de cide d t o attach t he lump which

.

th e y had take n as a pl e dg e from t he first man to the rig ht che e k

o f th e ir prison e r S o the old man with a lump o n his l e ft ch e e k
.

g o t o n e o n his ri g ht ch e e k as w e ll and cam e back to the villag e

in g re at distre ss .

The story t e ll e r adds a dida ctic re mark to t he e ffe ct th at o ne

should n e ve r e nvy anoth e r s fortun e But the moral is appar
’
.

e ntly an aft e rthou g ht o f the writ e r , t he orig inal motive o f th e

story was pure ly humorous .

The s am e coll e cti on c ontains oth e r sto ri e s about de vils , in

which th e y app e ar n o w as t e rribl e now as comic obj e cts Fo r
,
.

instance , a wande ring itin e rant monk once m e t a frig htful de vil
amon g t he mountains In spite o f his monstrous and dre adful
.

asp e ct , t he de vil was we e ping bitt e rly The monk wonde re d at

.
 PL A T E XXVII
FR O L I c OF D M E ON S
Two p a rts o f a r se nting a fro l i c f
l o ng ro ll re
p e o

m o nst r s b i n gs an i m ls an d d m o n s a fte r t he
ou e ,
a e ,
-

m od l ef t h fa m o u s c ari c atu r p a i nte r T o b Soj O

o e e a .

Se e p 2 8 3 . .

By Hiro n o bu ( e arly n tu ry)

1 8 th c e . In p o sse ss o in
o f Mu se u m o f Fi n A rts Bo sto n
e ,
.
 VAMPI R E S A ND GH O STLY B E I N GS 285

that an d aske d the r e ason o f it The de vil e xplain e d that he

.

had once be e n a human be ing , and be caus e o f the re ve ng e ful

S pirit which he ch e rish e d toward his fo e he had b e com e a de vil .

H e had succe e de d in tak ing r e ve ng e n o t only o n his e n e my but

o n his d e sce ndants throug h s e ve ral
g e n e ration s fo r a de vil live s
,

much long e r than human b e ing s Now he had kill e d t he last

.

o f his e n e my s lin e a e and he had n o mor e e n e mi e s whom h e

’
g ,

co u ld injur e Y e t he mu st continu e to live g naw e d by the c e as e

.

l e ss d e sire fo r r e ve ng e .

The mi se r y o f thi s d e vil consum e d by passions which he could

n o t satis fy e mbodi e s a l e sson which th e Buddhist s w e re fond o f

t e aching ye t a monst e r we e ping fOr su ch a cause has som e thin g

,

g rimly humorous about him From this story p e rhaps com e s

.

”
t he familiar p rove rb Te ars e ve n in the e ye s o f a de vil .

A noth e r prove rb runs E ve n de vils kn ow ho w t o pray to

Budd ha, and It IS a favourite subj e ct for pi ctur e s A de vil .

with a face o f horribl e ug lin e ss is drawn in monastic robe s and

b e ating a littl e fl at be ll that hang s from his br e ast 5 h e is sup
pos e d to re p e at Buddha s n ame in unison with t he sound o f the
’

be ll D e vils cari cature d in thi s way ar e abundant in Japane se

.
‘

painting e sp e cially in t he work o f the lat e r g e nre paint e rs

, .

As a count e rpart to the de vils Japane se folk lore has a sort

,
-

o f ar chan g e l Mi chae l in t he p e rson o f Sh oki . H e is said to

have live d in China in the e ig hth century The story runs that
.

aft e r he had faile d in his o fli cial care e r he kill e d hims e lf Y e t .

the E mp e ror showe d him g re at honour afte r his d e ath and he ,

unde rtook to g uard t he Imp e rial palace ag ainst de vils H e is .

re pre se nte d as a g iant we aring t he coron e t and robe s o f a Chi

n e se offi ci al o f that time and having a sword in his hand His .

e ye s
—
g lar e about ang rily and his ch e e ks a re cove r e d by a be ard .

H e chas e s t he de vils about r e morse l e ssly and in picture s o f his

,

de vil baiting , t he contrast b e twe e n his g ig antic fi g ure and the

-

ug ly littl e mischie f make rs is made hig hly amusing ( Plat e

—
.

XXV III ) The fi g ure o f Sh oki always app e ars o n the flag s
.
286 JAP AN E SE M YT H OL OGY
hoiste d o n the Japan e se May Day, a fe stival on which the e vil 4

spirits o f plag ue and dis e as e are e xorcise d .

Som e o f the O ni are said to pos se ss a miraculous mall e t ,

quite like that o f D aik o k u , which can g rant anything that is
l5

“
de sire d A story that be ars upon this point is that o f Issu n
.

bOshi, the O n e in c h Dwarf -

”
.

O nce upon a tim e an ag e d coupl e who we re without childre n

,

praye d to t he g o d o f Sumiyo shi fo r a child, e ve n if he should

be only o n e inch in h e i g ht Th e ir praye r was g rant e d and a

“
.

pyg my bo y was born to th e m H e was call e d Issu n b oshi o r.

—
,

the O n e inch Boy,

-
”
and he was a cl e ve r child W h e n he .

g re w olde r, thoug h he g re w n o larg e r, he wish e d t o se e the

world and t o start a care e r in Miyako the Imp e rial capital , ,

H is pare nt s g av e him provisions, and the dwarf start e d o n his

j ourn e y taking a woode n plat e and a chop sti ck which he u se d
, ,

as a boat and ru d d e r in crossin g str e ams W h e n he came to .

Miyako he was tak e n into s e rvice by a nobl e man and soon be

cam e a use ful se rvant .

O n e day h e e scort e d the prince ss of the house t o the t e mpl e

o f Kiyomizu and o n the way ba ck an O ni stopp e d th e m and
,

thre ate n e d to de vour th e m The cl e ve r and courag e ous Issu n

.

boshi j ump e d int o the mouth o f the O ni an d pri cke d the Oni s ’

mouth and nostrils with his Sword which was a pin The O ni ,
.
,

finding t he pain unbe arabl e , sn e e ze d o u t the curio us littl e as

sail an t unhurt and ran away W h e n t he Oni had vani sh e d the
.

prin ce ss found a mall e t, appare ntly l e ft be hind by the O ni in

h is fli g ht No w she kn e w that th e O ni som e tim e s had a wo n
.

d e r fu l mall e t whi ch could cau se any wish to b e re alize d and so ,

sh e took it up and swun g it , cryin g o u t that I ssu n b Oshi should - e

be com e a man The O n e inch Dwarf imm e diat e ly be cam e a

.
-

man o f nobl e stature The prince ss was g rate ful t o him fo r

.

saving he r from t he O ni ; and Issu n b oshi was g rat e ful t o the -

princ e ss for making him a man S o th e y marri e d an d live d .

happily e ve r aft e r .
 PLA TE XXVIII
S O H KI ,
T H E D E VI L — HU N T ER

Shoki , vi l h nt r p p aring fr m w i thi n a

t he de u e ,
a e o

curt i d a l i t tl
a n, an i m i ng t hr g h t h
e t m
onpl co ou e e e,

dan cing Th l i t tl d m n i pp ar ntly int i at d

. e e e o s a e ox c e .

H w re tri p d i
ea s a n b rn r hi h d d h
o nce se -
u e on s ea an as

a cu
p i n hi hand S p 285
s . ee . .

By K n HOg i ( d i d
a o In pa in f e o sse ss o o

M m
u se u f Fin A rts B t n
o e ,
os o .
28 8 JAP A N E S E M YT H O L OGY
be symbolic o f p ride and arrog ance The Te ng u chi e fs have .

distinct p e rsonaliti e s and titl e s and e ach o f th e m is be lie ve d to

,

re side o n a particular hig h p e ak O n the oth e r hand the in

.
,

fe r io r Te n g us ar e subj e ct to a chi e f and mu st always s e rve him .

Th e ir mouths r e se mbl e t he b e ak s Of bir d s and th e ir bodie s are

’

fur ni sh e d with small wing s In that re sp e ct th e y are like the

.

Hindu Garuda but th e y are much smalle r in statur e Th e y .

flo ck in a g iant cryptom e ri a tr e e n e ar wh e re th e ir chi e f re side s,

,

and th e nc e fly to and fr o as th e y are d e spatch e d o n his e r

rands Th e r e fore th e y are call e d Koppa Te ng u o r L e afl e t
.
,
'

Te ng us .

The Te ng us ar e as we have said , r e incarnations o f tho se

,

whose hig h and re ve ng e ful spirit is unqu e n ch e d o f tho se who ,

we re proud and arrog ant e sp e cially prie sts, o r of those who

,

di e d in battl e Th e se be ing s hold couns e l in t he top o f a g re at

.

cryptom e ria and a ccording to t he de cision at tack those whom

, ,

th e y hat e o r whom th e y wish to fill with th e ir o wn proud s pi rit .

In the ag e s o f war the three ce nturi e s that followe d t he four

,

te e n t h, t he Japan e se w e r e ob se sse d by sup e rstitious dre ad o f the

Te ng us and stori e s about th e m w e r e manifold .

Clo se ly alli e d with t he T e ng u and the O n i are the g e nn o f '

thunde r and o f wind, call e d R ai j in and Fu j in re sp e ctive ly

- -
.

Th e ir nativity is un ce rtain but th e y are much like the O ni The .

spirit o f thunde r is a r e d O ni and the spirit o f wind blue The ,

.

R ai j in has a round fram e b e hind his back to which are fa st e n e d

-

littl e dr ums The Fu j in h as a larg e b ag from which he pours

.
-

forth str e ams o f wind, from a bre e ze to a hurri cane according ,

t o t h e e xt e nt to which h e op e ns t he b ag Th e r e are no p articu

.

lar stori e s about th e m , but th e y are fr e qu e ntly r e pre se nt e d in

statu e s and picture s som e time s humorously, as wh e n R ai j in
,
—

is shown tott e rin g about like a drunkard or Eu j in is swe pt -

away by the wind that he hims e lf has le t loose .

 PL A T ES XX I X XXX XXX I XXX II , , ,

SOJ O— B O, T H E C H I E O F T H E T EN G U TO G E TH ER
F ,

W IT H T H E S MA L L T E N G U

SOj O bO -
a
pp ea s r h e re as a fu r i ou s s
p i ri t
ho e g v ri n
am o n
g d ar c l o u ds Akc o ro n e t o n . his he d is l e a ik
th t a i i i sts; he has a
w o rn by the m o u nta n e e r n g p r e

p i l g ri m s S t ff i nst a d f t he fan o f f the rs; his

’
a ,
e o ea

r b s a r t ho s o f re g l r B ddhist m o nks The l i tt le

o e e e u a u .

T ng e h r r p re s n t d a s bi rds S e p 30 9
u a re e e e e e . e . .

By D shu f t h m o d e rn Kyé t Sc h o l d t d
on ,
o e o o ,
a e

1 8 52 In p o ss ssi o n f Mu se u m o f Fi ne A rts
. e o ,

Bo sto n .

T H U N ER D A ND W IN D

Se e p . 288 .

By Kyo sa i ( di e d In p o sse ss o in of Mu se u m
o f F in e A rts, Bo sto n .

YA M A -
U BA, MO U N TA IN W O M A N A N D H E R
TH E -

SO N KI N TA R O T H E C H I L D O F NA T URE
,

TheMo u nta in W o m an ap p ears he re as a f e a r fu l

-

wo m an o f t he m o u nta in w e ar ing var i e gate d b u t ,

w o rn o u t r o b e s w i th f ru i ts i n a b ask e t
-

,
He r so n .
,

Kin tar é is re p re se n te d i n r e d c o l o u r the re fore dark

, ,

in the re p ro du cti o n Se e pp 2 8 9 ff . . .

Ta k e n fro m t he KO KK A i n a p rivate c o lle c ti o n ,

in O saka A du p l i c ate o f t he sam e p i c tu re e xe cu te d

.

o n a wo o de n l te is i n t he l l e ri e s o f I tsu k u sh i m a
p a
g a .

By R o se tsu a n u nru ly d i sc i p l e o f the re al i st O k yo

,

( die d
2 90 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
is a famous ve rsion o f this sto ry in the lyric dram a O ne .

autumn d ay a warrior we nt into t he mountains to e nj oy the

b e auti ful crimson o f dying mapl e l e ave s W h e n he had g on e .

de e p into the fore st h e came upon a company o f ladie s holding

,

a fe ast be hind brilliant curtains o f satin which we re dr awn

around th e m H e j oin e d th e ir company and was pl e asantly
.

e nt e rtain e d e sp e cially by the chi e f o f th e party a youn nobl e

, , g
woman W hil e the warrior was e nj oyin g him se lf with music
.

and t he ric e b e e r th at t he lady provide d th e sky sudd e nly dark

—
,

e n e d and a fu rious storm ru sh e d down from t he surroundin g

mountain p e aks In the midst o f t he con fusion the la d y was

.

transform e d into an alarming de mon whi ch thr e ate ne d his li fe .

Th e t e rrifi e d warrior rous e d him se l f from t he sp e ll un de r

whi ch he lay and, re g ainin g his composure and his courag e ,

mana g e d to make his e scap e from this tr e ach e rous spirit In .

6
this story t he fe mal e g e nius is n o t g ive n a nam e but she r e
,

minds o n e strong ly o f Yama uba -

.

Yama uba the Mountain W oman som e tim e s assum e s a

-

,
-

t e rri fying asp e ct but she is g e n e rally re pre se nte d as a hand

,

som e woman and is said to have marrie d a warrior Th e ir lit tl e .

so n is c all ed Kin tar O o r Kin to k i The bo y is a g e nuin e child o f

.

nature sturdy and courage ous ; he fe ars nothing and plays with
,

wild animals H e may be call e d the Si e g fri e d o f Japan e se

.

folk lore H e is said to have be com e a re tain e r o f the famous

—
.

warrior R aik O, o f whom we shall h e ar in Chapt e r VI In the .

7

lyric drama t he boy s moth e r is ide alize d into a fairy a p e rson

’
,

ifi catio n o f th e clouds and mists who roams amon g t he moun ,

tains and also vi sits human abode s This is an e xtract from the .

drama in que stion .

C H O RU S
Mou ntai n m ai d we call he r
-
.

Bu t no o n e kno ws he r bi rth p la ce or he r fixe d ab o de

-
.

She l ive s i n t he cl o u ds a n d b e si d e a l l t he stre am s .

Th e re is no p la c e ve n a m o ng t he re m ote st m ou nta i ns
,
e ,
”
W he re trac e s o f he r are n o t fo u n d .
 VAMPI R E S A ND GH O STLY B E I NGS 2 91

TH E MAID
A lthou gh I am not a hu m an b ing e .

C H ORU S
i
She m an f e sts he rse l f n a w on drou s gure o f m onstrou s i fi
Fo rm e d o u t o f c l o u ds an d m sts, i
i
A n d by transform ng he rse l f a c c ord ng to h e r su rr o u nd ngs i i .

i v b
Se e t he w l l o w l e a e s u rst ng g re e n f ro m th e u ds, i b
fl
A n d the o we rs loom ng , e au t fu l ly p n , b i b i i k
v
A l l by th e m se l e s an d le f t t o th e m se l e s v .

L e w se the Mo u nta n m a d e e r roam s a o u t t he world

ik i i -
i v b .

i
Som e t m e s she c onsole s th e w o o d c u tte r, -

ivi
By g n g him a r e st ng p la c e u n d e r a l o om ng t re e , i b i
i
A lo ng t he tra ls on the slo p e s o f m ou nta ns i
i
A ga n sh e ste p s nto t he w n d o w, i i
i i
Be s d e wh ch a g rl m a n p u la te s he r w e a ng l o o m ,i i vi
A n d te nde rs h e r h e lp t o th e to l n g hands; ii
Ju st a s t he n i i
ght n gal e s ng ng on t he w ll o w tre e i i i
v
W e a e s t he g re en thre ads o f the p e n d n g ranc he s i b .

C H O RU S
In t h e S
pri n g ,
as t he bl om ing s as n app roach
o e o e s,

TH E MA I D
I roam abo t s ar h ing u e c fo r b l ssom s
o .

C H ORU S
In the au tu m n , wh e n t he e v ni ng i alm
e s c translu ce nt ,

TH E MA ID
I m i grat fr m m o nt i n t m o nt i
e o u a o u a n,

Enjoyi n g th si l v ry l i ght f t h m o n
e e o e o .

C H ORU S
In t h
‘

e w int r e , whe n t he c lo d b rin g storm

u s and s now ,

TH E MA ID
I hov r in e t he flying sn o w, al o ng the sl op e s an d pea ks .
2 92 JAPAN ES E M YTH O L OGY
C H ORU S
She roa m s e n dl e ssly a m ong t he c lo u ds o f i llu si on ;
A n d se e he r fi g u re l ik e t he m o u nt ai ns,
Y e t c hang i ng p e rp e tu all y.

She h o ve rs a rou n d th e p e aks,

He r vo i c e is e cho e d f ro m t he dal e s .

The fi g u re c lo se by o nly a m o m e nt a go
Is p assing away, m o vi ng u p a n d d o wn,
T o t he ri ght a n d t he l e ft, e nc i rc l i ng t he su m m i ts,
W an de ri ng al o n g the rang e s, fl yi n g a n d dri fti ng ,
‘

A n d fi nally l e a vin g no trac e b e hi nd

”
.
2 94. JAPAN E S E MYTH O L O GY
ag in atio n o f t he
race was still in the p ri mitive and mythop oe ic
stag e o f de ve lopm e nt In that e poch natur e myths we re o ft e n
.

translat e d into simpl e and charming tal e s animat e d by the mo

tive o f human love Ag ain be twe e n the t e nth and twe l fth ce n
.

t u r ie s th e re was an ag e of romantic se ntim e nt whi ch had its

orig in in the p e culiar atmosph e r e o f t he court li fe and was stim

u late d by the Buddhi st c once ption o f re ality Lat e r in the .
,

fift e e nth ce ntury th e re was a r e vival o f this int e r e st in romantic

,

love but t he move m e nt was not cr e ative as the oth e r two had
,

be e n , it only re fin e d and e laborate d the mat e rials hande d down

,

from form e r time s .

In t he storie s o f the two e po chs which I have m e ntione d the ,

chara ct e rs are som e tim e s p e rso n ificatio n s o f natural obj e cts but ,

more o ft e n th e y ar e human be ing s who re pre se nt t he se ntime nt s

and ide als o f the p e riod First le t us re produce a story from .

t he anci e nt mytholo g i cal r e cords , which d e al s with p e rsonifi e d

1
ph e nom e n a o f nature .

Th e re we re two broth e rs Haru yama no Ka sumi onoko and ,

— -

Aki yama no Shitabi onoko , i e the Mist man o f the Spring

- -
. .
-

Mountain and the Fro st man o f the Autumn Mountain — .

At the sam e tim e th e re live d a b e auti ful g irl name d Izu shio
”
tom e i e the Grace maide n who was born o f the e ig ht di
,
. .
—
,

vin e tre asure s the sp e ar j e w e ls, e tc broug ht ove r by a

,
.
—

Kor e an prin ce to Japan N o w t he e lde r broth e r the Frost

.
, ,

man o f Autumn was e ag e r to marry t he g irl , but She would have

non e o f his love H e told his young e r broth e r the Mist m an
.
,
-

o f Sprin g o f his fail u r e and promis e d to make him a fi n e pr e s

,

e n t i f he should succe e d in winnin g the g irl Th e Mist man .

-

2
said that he fe lt sure o f his succe ss, and th e n ask e d his moth e r

how he should win the h e art o f the g irl H is moth e r made fo r .

him robe s o f the fin e t e ndrils o f the wistaria and g ave him a bow
and arrows to carry wh e n he visit e d the maide n W h e n the .

Mi st man arrive d at the hous e o f the Grace maide n his robe s

-
-

we re purpl e and his bow and arrows also we re adorn e d with

,
 R O MANTI C ST O R I E S 2 95

be auti ful wi staria flowe rs The gi rl we l com e d t he handsome

.

fl o we r b e de cke d youth marri e d him an d had a child by him

-

,
.

The Mi st man th e n w e nt to his e lde r broth e r told him of

-

his succ e ss and aske d fo r t he promis e d pr e se nt But t he Fro st .

man was ve ry j e alous o f his bro th e r an d would not fulfil his

promise S o the Mist man we nt to t he moth e r and complain e d
.
-

that his broth e r had de ce ive d him The moth e r in turn was .

ang ry with the Frost man and laid a curse upon him that he
-
3

should with e r like an uproot e d bamboo and fall sick Accord .

in g ly t he Frost man b e ca m e s e riously ill

-
Y e t wh e n h e re .

p e n t e d o f his br e ach o f faith and pray e d fo r h is moth e r s par

,
’

d o n she forg ave him , he was cure d, and all live d tog e th e r in
harmony .

Anoth e r st ory which also de al s with a g irl and he r two love rs

dat e s from the e ig hth ce ntury Al thoug h the story se e m s orig i .

n ally to have had a natural backg round it is told as i f it we r e ,

an actual e piso de o f human love , and t he g rave s o f t he thre e

we re o fte n in late r ye ars point e d o u t to sympathizing passe rs by
'
—
.

Th e st o fyruns thus
4

Th e re live d in the province o f Se ttsu a gi rl famous fo r he r

be au ty who was kn own as t he maide n o f Unai Many love rs
, .

wo oe d he r, but she care d fo r none o f th e m W h e n all the .

oth e rs had g ive n up hop e two young m e n e qually handsome , , ,

r e main e d as undiscourag e d suitors E ach vi e d with the oth e r in .

trying to win t he g irl s h e art by visiting he r and making he r

’

co stly pre se nts The pare nts, r e ady to se e th e ir daug ht e r mar

.

ri e d to o n e o f the young m e n , but unabl e to d e cide b e twe e n

th e m det e rmin e d that an arch e ry conte st S hould de cide the
,

que stion The suitors cam e on the appoint e d day e quipp e d with
.
,

b o w and arrows Th e g irl and he r pare nt s stood by to watch the

.

cont e st and the suitors we re to shoot at a bird that had ali g hte d
,

o n t he surface o f a rive r that flowe d by the maide n s hou se

’
.

Th e y S hot , an d e ach arrow hit t he bird o n e at the h e ad and the ,

o th e r at t he tail S o t he matt e r was still un de cide d

. .
2 96 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
The g irl , torme nt e d by the difficulty o f choosing be twe e n he r
love rs g re w de sponde nt and thre w h e rse lf into the rive r The
, .

two love rs th e re upon lo st all de sire for li fe and followe d t he

e xampl e o f th e ir be love d So t he thre e we re j oin e d in de ath
.

and th e y we re buri e d tog e th e r o n the rive r bank , t he maide n in

t he middl e and a lov e r o n e i th e r sid e .

B e fore g iving e xampl e s o f t he storie s p roduce d during t he

se cond romantic e poch we oug ht t o say som e thing about t he p e
,

cu liar ide als o f that int e re stin It was the ag e o f t he

g tim e .

”
cloud g allants and the fl o wer maide ns, o f the luxurio us
- -

nobl e s an d ladi e s who move d amidst the romantic and artifi cial
surrounding s o f the Imp e rial court It was an e poch o f ae s.

the ticism and s e ntim e ntalism , in which fre e r e in was gi ve n to

e motions that w e r e re fin e d and cultivat e d by the so m e what e u

e rv atin atmosph r f Miyako t h e Imp e rial capital E v ry

g e e o , e .

m e mbe r o f this picture sque socie ty, man o r woman , was a po e t ,

se nsitive t o t he c harms o f natur e and e ag e r t o e xp re ss e ve ry

phase o f fe e lin g in ve rse Th e ir intimate fe e ling fo r n ature

.

and fo r the vari e d e moti ons o f the human h e art was e xp re sse d
”
in the word amar é which m e ant both pity and symp athy
,
.

This s e ntim e nt had its source in t he t e nde r romanticism o f t he

ag e , it owe d much t o o , to t h e Buddhist t e aching o f the on e n e ss
,

o f e xist e nc e s o f t he basic unity that j oins to g e th e r di f

,
fe re nt be
ing s and which p e rsist s throug h the chang ing incarnations o f
,

o n e individual . That conviction o f the continuity of life both ,

in this e xiste nce and h e r e afte r de e p e n e d the se ntime ntal not e

, ,

and wide n e d t he sympath e ti c re ach o f awe/ ré It is not strang e

.

that the re ig n o f awaré produce d many romance s o f love both ,

in actual li fe and in the storie s o f t he p e riod .

No t only throug h its m e taphysical doctrin e o f the unity o f

e xist e nc e and o f t he continuity o f karma , but throu g h t he id e al
”
o f the O n e R oad Buddhism impre sse d o n t he cloud
,

allants and t h e fl o we r maid e ns o f that tim e a s e n se o f

g
-

t he on e n e ss o f lif e . According to this t e aching , b e ing s , wh e th e r

 PL A TE XXX III
TH E MA I D EN OF U N AI AN D HER L O V ER S
S H O O T I N G BI R DS

Se e p . 2 95
.

Ta k e n f r o m SE TTS U ME IS H O Z U d rawn by Y u t e i

( la t e 1 8 th c e ntu ry) .
2 98 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
attain e d so much re ality in the p e opl e s minds that many authors
’

tre at e d t he roman ce s as if th e y we re a ctual and not fictitious ad

ve nture s The popularity o f the stori e s may be se e n from the
.

fact, that a se t of symbols was de vi se d to stand fo r e ach chap

7

t e r o f t he book and fo r its parti cular p e rson s circumstance s and

, ,

instance s .

B e side s G e mr M o m g atc m th e re are s e ve ral book s r e pr e se nt

'

in g th e sam e e tho s and s e ntim e nt , and som e o f the tal e s attain e d

a popularity rivalling that o f G e nj i The sce n e s wh e re th e se
.

stori e s are laid we re oft e n vi sit e d, an d som e p e rsons we re said

to have s e e n t he romantic love rs in apparitions, t o have con
ve rse d with th e m and to have conve rte d th e ir souls still e n ,

tang l e d in t he p assion o f lo ve , to the Budd hist r e lig ion Such .

Buddhi stic romantic tale s ar e found compo se d in lyric dramas

since t he fourte e nth ce ntury, an d the o ld romance s obtaine d a
still wide r circulation throug h th e m Th e se dramas call e d
.
,
”
Utai ar e not dramatic in the mode rn se nse o f the word but
, , ,

a r e rath e r lyrical narrative s o f t he p e r son s who have had su c h

e x e ri e n ce s r e cit e d in a kind o f chant to t he ac compan im e nt o f

p ,

orch e stra and choral song In th e se p e rformance s which ar e

.
,

call e d N O the characte rs who app e ar o n the stag e ar e two

o r thr e e in numb e r , th e y conv e rs e in r e citativ e and p e rform ce r

t ain dan ce s Th e N 6 are not unlike t he G r e e k trag e di e s in t e ch

.

niqu e bu t t he subj e cts are s e ntim e ntal and romantic rath e r than
,

trag i c Th e se plays w e re p e r form e d b e fore asse mbli e s o f

.

nobl e s and warriors and e ve n today th e y are patronize d by t he

,

e ducat e d class e s , and th e stori e s th e y r e pr e s e nt are known al

most unive rsally among the p e opl e Althoug h th e s e stori e s do

.

n o t b e long to folk lor e in t he prop e r s e nse th e y may as w e ll b e

-

,
’
illustrat e d h e r e since th e y are so charact e ristic o f the p e opl e s
,

ve in o f s e ntime nt .

First o f all th e s e is the sto ry of O no no Komachi the ide al

— -

iz e d typ e of fe mal e b e auty in Japan e s e lit e ratur e and folk lore -

.

S he was a court lady who flourish e d in the ninth ce ntury N o t .

 R O MANTI C ST O R I ES 2 99

only did he r be auty attra ct many cloud g allants to wo o he r , -

but she was a po e t e ss o f hig h g i fts Having m e t with ill fo r .

tun e in he r love fo r a ce rtain nobl e man she re j e cte d all oth e r ,

suitors l e ft th e court
,
and live d o u t a long li fe as a re cluse
,
.

Many stori e s are tol d about he r but t he be st known is that o f

, _

he r app e arance to th e po e t Nar ihira, who is him se lf t he h ero o f

many romantic sto ri e s, and he r conve rsation in ve rse with him .

The story ascrib e s he r cru e lty toward love rs to he r pride in

h e r o wn be auty and asse rts that he r solitary life in lat e r ye ars
,

was the j ust punishm e nt for that pride Th e unfortunat e .

Komachi is o ft e n de pi ct e d in picture s as a mi se rabl e old woman

sittin g o n a so t o ba a pi e ce o f wood e r e ct e d b e side a tomb in
,

m e mo ry o f t he de ad It is o f this Komachi lon e ly and for

.
,

g ott e n,
that t he po e m sp e aks
The fl ow r d m y lo e
e s an v
Passe d a wa y u nde r t he ra n, i
W h le i I i
dl y l o o e d u p o n k the m !
W h e re is m y ye ste r l o e ? -
v 8

Thus sh e die d , no o n e buri e d h e r and he r corpse re main e d ,

e xpo se d to the w e ath e r Some ye ars lat e r N arihira the po e t

.
,

o f lov e pas se d a ni ht at t he spot not knowin

, g g that it was th e r e
,

that Komachi had di e d H e h e ard a faint voice amon g the

.

bush e s and it re p e at e d a po e m complaining of t he solitude

, .

Th e n Ko m achi s apparition disclo se d it se l f and con fe sse d to

’
,

Narihira that she r e p e nt e d o f h e r pride and su ffe r e d sadly from

lon e lin e ss O n t he following morning Narihira discove r e d a
.

”
d e caye d skull amon g the g rass Think the story con clude s
.
, ,

o f t he tran sitorin e ss o f physical b e auty and the vanity o f all

”
pride in it .

The po e t Nar ihira was o n e o f the cloud g allants o f t he ” -

ninth ce ntury, whose li fe was a succe ssion o f romantic love af

fairs Th e r e e xist s a coll e ction o f stori e s which is ascribe d to
.

his o wn p e n O n e o f th e m is about his boyhood love , and is

.

call e d the story o f the Tsutsu izutsu o r W e ll curb -

”
,
-
.
300 JAP A NE S E MYTH O L O GY
Narihira had a g irl fri e nd whom he had love d since e arly
childhood O fte n , in th e ir e arly ye ars, th e y stood be side a we ll ,
.

and l e an ing tog e th e r o n the we ll curb, e xchang e d smil e s as

,
-

e ach looke d into the oth e r s fac e r e fl e c t e d in t he wat e r W he n

’
, .

Narihira g re w up he fe ll in lov e with anoth e r woman

,
His .

forme r love stood be side the we ll alon e ; she thoug ht o f those ,

e arly days and, r e m e mb e rin g t he po e ms h e had compos e d o n

t he w e ll curb, wrot e ve r se s o f h e r o wn , contr astin g the happy

-

p ast with t he unhappy pre se nt .

That is the o l d story The NO drama , W e ll curb has fo r

.
” - -

its sce n e this o ld we ll An itin e rant monk vi sits the place and
.

m e e t s the g host o f t he woman de se rte d by he r love r She t e lls , .

him he r story p e r forms a dance e xpr e ssing he r de spair, and

,

vanish e s The chorus sing s

.

The o f the de ad wom an th gho st o f t h p o o r g i rl

s ul o ,
e e ,

C o l o u rle ss l ik e a w i th re d fl o w re e ,

L e a v e s no t ra c e b h in d i t i n t h t e m p l e g ro u n d o f A rihara
e ,
e -
.

The dawn app roa che s as t he b ll r i n gs g n t ly; e e

In the twi li ght o f t h e arly m o rn ing th r r m ains

e e e e

O nly t he fra i l b nana l e a ve s wa v ring i n t he m rn i ng a i r

9
a -
e o ,

No so u nd is he ard b u t th m lody t hat t he b re e z p lays o n

e e e t he p in e

ne e dl e s .

The dre am is b roke n an d t he d y has c o m e a .

L e t us re turn to the famous stori e s o f Prince G e n j i H e was .

a prin ce o f royal birth so handsom e and so de bonair that he

,
”
was call e d the Brig ht O n e o f his mi str e sse s the lady o f
.
,

t he Sixth Ave nu e , had b e e n abu se d and in sult e d by his j e alous

wife , Lady Hollyhock ; and wh e n She di e d he r re ve n g e ful ,

spirit attacke d not only Lady Hollyho ck but oth e r mistre ss e s o f

th e princ e . The prince always r e m e mbe r e d the de ad woman
afl e ct io n at e ly and onc e mad e a visit to the country plac e wh e r e

he r daug ht e r was livin g .

“
A NO drama take s this country pla ce for its sce n e As is ve ry
-
.

oft e n t he cas e in th e se drama s an itin e rant monk visits the place ,

o n an autumn ni g ht The pal e lig ht o f the moon silve rs the air,

.
302 JAP ANE S E MYTH O L O GY
o ft e nde r h e art , but more qui e t and re s e rve d than his fathe r,
and the stori e s in whi ch he app e ars are o n the whol e l e s s g ay
than thos e o f which his fath e r is the h e ro .

Kaoru lov e d a princ e ss call e d U k ifu n e , which m e ans the

”
Floatin g Boat . She live d in the country with he r h e rmit
fath e r and took no part in t he so cial li fe o f Miyako . Kaoru
o ft e n visit e d the prin ce ss in he r lon e ly hom e the re tire me nt o f
,

which he found g rat e ful but circum stance s hinde re d him fo r a

,

whil e from visitin g he r and t he d ifli de n t prince ss dare d not

,

e ve n writ e to him in Miyako . No t unnaturally she g r e w sus

p icio u s that he r lov e r was un faith ful and anoth e r princ e nam e d
,
”
N iou , t he Sc e nt e d, who was Kao ru s rival lost no o p p o rt u
’
,

mity to e ncoura g e that suspi cion . In this mood o f de sponde ncy,

Uk ifu n e u se d O ft e n to wand e r alon g t he rive r bank n e ar h e r
”
hom e H e r o wn name the Floating Boat , sugg e ste d to he r
.
,

mind t he e van e sce nce o f li fe and vanity o f all hop e s and the,

swoll e n str e am o f t he rive r which t he rains had fill e d s e e m e d

, ,

t o invit e he r. S o S h e thr e w h e rse lf into t he wat e r but was

,

save d by a monk who was passing by Th e re upon S he b e cam e a

.

nun and passe d the re st o f he r li fe in a nunn e ry Such is t he

.

m e lan chol y story , its g e ntl e patho s app e al s stron g ly to the

Jap an e s e mind .
 C H A P TE R VI

H ER O I C S T O R IE S

M O NG e ve ry p e opl e , the de e ds o f e arly h e ro e s e asily

take o n a myt hical o r se mi mythical characte r and wh e n
-

the h e ro liv e d far in the past his fam e is so mu c h a ffe ct e d by

this mythop oei c proce ss that it b e come s diffi cult to t e ll what are
histori cal facts and what ar e l e g e ndary e mb e lli sh m e nts Th e re
-
.

is still anoth e r t yp e o f h e ro e s whos e a ctual e xi st e n ce can n e v e r

be e stabli sh e d, but whose l e g e n d a r y de e ds are so much a part o f
popular tradit ion that th e y are always thoug ht o f as p e rsons no
l e ss re al than tho se who se e xploits ar e unqu e stionably auth e ntic .

W e shall in a bri e f surve y o f t he Japan e se h e roic tal e s, draw

,

illustrations from both cl ass e s .

A ve ry fam o u s h e ro in t he anci e nt mytholo g y was Susa no

’

wo , the Storm g o d, who as we have h e ard vanqui sh e d the

-

, ,

e ig ht h e ade d drag on an d sav e d a young woman from b e in g sac

-

r ifi ce d to that horribl e mon st e r Similar storie s are told about

.

his sons, who ar e said to have subj ug at e d various g ods who

we re found in th e ir dominions, the mode rn province o f Izumo .

But we n e e d n o t de lay ove r th e s e stori e s, whi ch ar e pur e ly

mythical , t he strictly h e roic stori e s may b e said to b e gi n with
the valiant Yamato Tak e r u
-
.

This prince was an e mp e ror s so n and he is said to have live d

’

in t he se cond ce ntury, A D H e was se nt o n an e xp e dition

. .

ag ainst the disobe die nt t ri be s o f the we st in orde r to re ve ng e

,

t he atrociti e s which th e y had committ e d upon his broth e rs On .

o n e oc casion , d i sg uis e d as a youn

g woman , h e g ain e d admittance
t o t he hous e o f a chi e f and h is disg uis e was so ing e nious that
,

t he e n e my had n o suspici o n o f t he truth The chi e f be came in

.
304 J AP ANE S E MYTH O L O GY
t o x i cate d at a fe ast, which he g ave fo r the suppose d l ady, and
t he princ e stabb e d him an d subj ug at e d t he whol e trib e We .

ar e told that the titl e Japan W arrior He ro was g ive n to

- —

Yamato by t he dying chi e f in admiration o f t he prince s sub ’

tl e ty and courag e
1
.

Afte r his triumphant re turn the pri nce was se nt to t he e ast e rn

provin ce s, wh e re the Ainu abori g ine s we re still unsubd ue d .

O n the way he praye d at the holy S hrin e o f Atsuta wh e r e had ,

be e n de po sit e d t he sword whi ch Susa no wo took from the- —

e i ht h e ade d dra on th at he sl e w
g
—
g No w, Yamato Take ru took
.
-

t he mira culous sword with him , and it was this sword which

save d him from se rious p e ril among the Ainus The b arbari .

ans pr e t e nde d t o surre nde r t o the prince and invite d him to a

,

hunt on a wide prairi e but th e y se t fire to t he unde rbrush whil e

,

t he prin ce was in t he midst o f t he wilde rn e ss W ith his sword .

he ha cke d down t he bush e s around him , and having e scap e d u n

hurt from the fire he subdu e d t he barbarians H e nce t he mi .

”
ra cu l o u s sword i s always call e d Kus a nag i t he Grass mowe r
- -
.
,

At anoth e r time during this e xp e dition t he prin ce s boat was ’

o v e rtak e n by a t e rribl e storm . Knowin g that t he S e a g ods had -

cause d t he storm by way o f re ve n g e upon t he posse ssor o f th e .

sword whi ch had b e e n take n from th e m, and that th e y wo u l d

n o t allay t h e t e mp e st without a human sacrific e , t he princ e s
’

consort thre w h e r se l f into the wate r Th e re upon the boat was

.

abl e t o cross t he se a in safe ty

.

Afte r s e ve ral furth e r adve nture s, the prince r e turn e d to

Atsuta Th e re he h e ard that an e vil spirit was in re volt o n a
.

mountain not far from the place , and we nt forth to bring it to

t e rms But this p rove d to b e t he last o f his adve nture s, fo r he
.

f e ll sick o f a fe ve r w,
hich the e vil spirit broug ht upo n him H e .

r e turn e d to Atsuta once more , but did no t r e cove r from his sick
n e ss. W h e n he di e d and was buri e d a whit e bird fl e w o u t o f
,

t he mo u nd .Anoth e r burial mound was rai se d at t he spot wh e re

t he bird disapp e ar e d from si g ht But ag ain the bird fle w o u t
.
30 6 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
Japan and re fe re nce has alr e ady be en made to local l e g e nds
,

about him .
4

The most popular and famous o f the e arly Minamoto g e n

e r al s is R aik O o r mor e prop e rly Y o rim itsu
, H e was always .

surround e d by four valiant li e ut e nant s and th e r e are tale s 5

,

about e ach o n e o f th e m Th e be st known o f th e ir j oint adv e n

.

ture s is the e xp e dition ag ainst a g roup o f de vili sh be ing s whos e ,

”
h e ad was S hut e n D Oj i o r Drunkard Boy and who had th e ir
, ,

strong hold on Mount O ye yama -

.

Th e Drunkard Boy was a kind o f o g r e who fe d o n human

blood H is face was boyi sh but he was o f g iant size and we nt
.

c lad in scarl e t rob e s His r e tain e rs we r e de vili sh be ing s vari

.
,

o u sly r e pul sive in app e aran ce As th e ir forays for plunde r an d

.

outrag e spre ad from t he n e ig hbourhood o f th e ir abode to the

ca pital and nobl e ladie s be cam e th e ir vi ctims the g ove rnm e nt
, ,

orde r e d R aik O to vanquish the de vil s Alre ady Tsuna, o n e o f .

,

R aik O S four li e ut e nant s had ov e rcom e a g re at o g r e and cut O E

’
,

o n e Of his arms so th e r e was r e ason to hop e that t he Drunkard

,

Boy was not invincibl e e ith e r but it was not an e asy matte r fo r ,

R aik O and his follow e rs to make th e ir way into t he strong ly

fortifi e d ha unt o f the o g re .

"
R aik O de t e rmin e d to di sg uise his m e n as a company o f the
mountain e e ring pri e st s who we r e accu stom e d to wande r about
,

t he hill coun try In this way the party g ain e d admittan ce to

.

t h e de vil s stron g hold to whi ch th e y w e r e g uid e d by a m yste ri

’
,

o u s man , who also g av e R aik O a quantity o f mag ic drink with

which t o intoxicat e t h e og r e s .

The o g r e s r e ce ive d th e m unsusp e ctin g ly and wh e n e ve ning ,

was com e the suppo se d p ri e sts o ffe re d the Drunkard Boy and
,

his r e tain e r s t he drink whi ch th e y had broug ht an d amuse d ,

th e m by sing ing and dancin g be fore th e m W h e n the o g re s ap .

d to b su fi
f ci e ntly b e fuddl e d t he warriors thre w o f f th e ir
p e a r e e ,

pri e stly robe s app e are d in armour and h e lm e ts and succe e de d

'

, ,

a ft e r a hard fig ht in killing t he chi e f og re and all his re taine rs .

 PL A T E XXX I V
S H U T EN D OJ I, TH E DR U N K AR D BO Y

Ta k e n fr o m r a f t he 1 8 th c e nt u ry a
lo n g sc o l l o ,

p o o r sp c i m e n o f t h K n o sc ho o l
e Th p rt sho wn
e a . e a

h r r p r s nt s R ik O O ff e ri n g t he m g i c w in e t t he
e e e e e a a o

D r n k r d Bo y t h l a tte r b ing e nt e rt ine d b y his

u a ,
e e a _

d vi l i sh r t i n e rs w ho a r
e e a d n c i ng an d sin g ing e a .

R ik O a n d his fi v re ta in rs a r i n t h d i sg i s o f
a e e e e u e

m o u nt i n e r i n g p ri sts
a e B hin d th m st n d th i r
e . e e a e

tra ve ll i g tru n ks whi c h t h y c rry o n the i r bac ks o n

n ,
e a

t h j u rn y
e o S p 306
e . ee . .

O r i g ina l i n Mu se u m o f Fin e A rts Bosto n ,

.
 H ER O IC STOR I E S 307

The spirit o f the Drunkard Bo y rag e d furiously e ve n afte r the

de ath o f his body and his h e ad cu t o ff by R aik é soare d upward
, , ,

in the air and trie d to atta ck him But the h e ro e s, throug h

, .

th e ir valour and the divin e a ssi stan ce r e main e d mast e rs of this ,

e xtraordinary situation The city o f Miyako was fill e d with

.

j oy wh e n t he triumphant R aik O tog e th e r with his four li e u ,

t e nant s came back be aring t he monstrous h e ad o f the Drunkard

,

Boy and l e ading a train o f wome n whom th e y had de live r e d

,

from captivity in t he o g re s d e n’ 6
.

Th e alt e rnate ri se and fall o f the two military clans Mina ,

moto and Taira which took place in rapid succe ssion during the
,

last half o f t he twe l fth ce ntur y was a rich source o f h e roic ,

stori e s. Th e se two cl ans are coll e ctive ly call e d G e m P e i and -

,
7

th e ir rivalry th e ir victori e s and th e ir d e fe at s form the substance

,

o f e pic s roman ce s and dramas O n e o f th e most popular e pical

, .

h e ro e s is Tam e to m o , t he famous arch e r ; but still more we ll

known ar e Y o shitsu n e his fri e nd and re tain e r B e nke i and his
, ,

mi stre ss Shizu k a
, .

W e shall b e tt e r unde r stand th e ir stori e s if we know som e ,

thing about the historical ba ckg round o f tho se l e g e nds The .

two military clans b e came influe ntial in t he politi cal are na

throug h the civil war o f I I 57 , althoug h the way had long sin ce
be e n pre par e d fo r th e m But the balance o f powe r b e twe e n
.

th e m was not e asily pre se rve d and wh e n anoth e r c ivil war broke
,

o u t in I I 59 t he Minamotos w e r e totally d e fe at e d by t h e Tairas

, .

In the war o f I I 57 e ach party was e qually divide d in t he two

c ont e nding camp s, Tam e to m o was o n t h e lo sin g sid e and o n e ,

o f his broth e rs fou ht o n t he oth e r and in t he passion o f t he

g ,

mome nt dare d e ve n to e xe cut e his o wn fath e r Tam e to m o , o f .

whom we shall h e ar more lat e r was e xil e d to an island in the ,

Paci fic O ce an In t he se cond war t he Tairas as we have s aid

.
, ,

ove rcame the Minamotos and the Minamoto l e ade r Tam e , ,

tomo s broth e r was kill e d H e l e ft thre e son s whom t he co n

’
,
.
,

q u e r o r s w e r e a bout t o put to d e ath but whom th e y finally ,

30 8 JAPA NE S E MYTH O LO GY
spar e d That act o f m e rcy bore un fortunat e fruit fo r the
.

Tairas for th e se thre e boys live d to vanquish th e m thirty ye ars

,

lat e r W h e n that time came the e lde st o f the thre e orphans

.
,

was the chi e f o f the Minamoto clan but t he mo st famous war ,

rior was Y o shitsu n e the young e st o f the thre e broth e rs and t he

,

most popular o f all Japan e se h e ro e s .

N o w Tam e to m o the unlucky uncl e o f Y o shitsu n e was fa

, ,

mous fo r his arch e ry e ve n in boyhood Discont e nte d with the .

conditions in Miyako wh e re the Fuj iwara olig archy oppre sse d

,

the military m e n Tam e t o m o fl e d from t he capital and we nt

,

into the w e st wh e n he was only fourt e e n y e ars o ld

, Th e re his .

adve nture s among t he local wa rriors made him a dre ade d h e ro

and the l e ade r o f many l e ss famous chi e fs W h e n in I I 57 war .

broke o u t in Miyako Tam e to m o re turn e d to fi g ht o n t he fa

,

t he r s sid e But his party was finally de fe at e d, his fath e r was

’
.

kill e d and he himse lf we nt into e xil e .

But his adve nturou s spirit was not subdu e d H e ove rcame .

t he inhabitants o f the i sland wh e re he was bani sh e d and rul e d

ove r th e m as a king The g ove rnm e nt o f Japan l e arn e d o f it

.

and s e nt an e xp e dition to the island W h e n Tam e to m o saw the .

ship s approachin g he took his strong e st bow and with an arrow

,

hit o n e o f t he ships so that a larg e hol e was pi e rce d in its S ide

, ,

and t he Sh ip sunk The wonde rful a rch e r could have sunk the
.

oth e r ship s in the sam e way but he h e sitat e d to do that o r e ve n

,

to de fe nd hims e lf by t he h e lp o f the i slande r s b e cause e ith e r

.
,

cours e m e ant that mor e m e n would b e kill e d o n his Own a ccount .

According ly he withdr e w to t he inte rior o f the island and kill e d

him se l f .

That is t he o ld l e g e nd but t he popular imag ination was

,

n e ve r satisfi e d with such an e nding and d e sire d to have t he h e ro

,

pre s e rv e d fo r more h e roic de e ds A tra dition was long curre nt

.

that Tam e to m o had not di e d but had fl e d o u t o f the i sland and

,

had mor e wonde rful adve nture s so me wh e r e e ls e Takin g that .

fo r a foundation a writ e r o f t he nin e te e nth c e ntury pre t e nde d

,
3I 0 JAPANE SE MYTH O LO GY
burning de sire fo r re ve ng e and the Te ng u in hig h approval o f
, ,

h is ambition promi se d to t e a ch him ce rtain se cr e ts in the art

,

o f swordsmanship and to inst ruct him in military tactics and

strat e g y Th e n S Oj O b é call e d his re tai n e rs the Le afl e t Te ng us,

.
-

and bade th e m g ive U shiwak a the be n e fit o f th e ir e xp e ri e nce

and skill in p e r fe ctin g his sword play .

Afte r that U shiwak a m e t t he Te ng us e ve ry nig ht and ve ry ,

soon the boy b e cam e so g re at a mast e r o f fe n cing that non e o f

t he minor Te n g us was his mat ch Finally S Oj O b O, proud o f
.
—

t he boy s pro g r e ss taug ht him all t he se cr e ts o f t he milita ry art

’
,

and g ave him a roll in which all those s e cre ts w e r e writt e n

down So U shiwak a was g raduat e d as it we re in military sci
.
, ,

e nc e at the for e st s chool o f t he Te n g us and all his fam o us ,

milita r y achi e ve m e nts in lat e r ye ars ar e be li e ve d to be the re sult

o f S Oj O b O s z e alous instructions
—
’
.

U shiwak a was not so conce it e d as to be li e ve that his unaide d

prowe ss was suffi cie nt to ca rry his plans to succe ss and he praye d ,

re g ularly to Kwannon t he g odde ss o f m e rcy fo r constant pro

, ,

t e ctio n and g uidanc e For that purpose , he visi t e d e ve ry nig ht

.

a t e mpl e o f the g odde ss call e d t he Kiyomizu Kwannon , in t he

south e ast e rn part o f Miyako
-
O n the way he had to cross
i
.

t he bridg e o f G o j O the Fifth Av e nu e Bridg e which spanne d

‘

, ,

t he rive r Kamo , the Arno o f t he Japan e se Flor e nc e and the ,

nig htly app e arance o f the myste rious youth his face ve il e d in ,

thin silk be came a subj e ct o f g ossip among the p e ople o f

,

Miyako .

At that tim e th e re was a soldi e r monk name d B e nk e i who ,

Had form e rly b e long e d to the monast e ry o f Mount H ie i, but

who was th e n soj ourning in Miyako se e king som e e xcitin g ad
ve nture B e nke i h e ard t he tal e o f the ve il e d youth and was
.

e ag e r to find o u t wh e th e r he was a human b e in g o r a su p ernatu

ral apparition According ly B e nk e i arm e d himse lf with vari

.

o u s w e apon s s e v e ral s words a h eavy iron rod a larg e saw,

, ,

e tc , and put o n his bla ck mona stic rob e s and hood

. .
 PLA TE XXXV
US H IW A K A A N D BEN K E I O N T H E BR ID G E OF G OJ O
,

OR BR I G E O F T H E FI FT H A V EN U E I N MIYA K O
D

No te ntrast b e twe e n the b o yi sh yo th ve ile d

t he c o u

in a wh i t m antl e
e d the g i nt m o n k c la d i n b lac k
an a .

Se e p p 30 9 II
. .

By U k u ta Ikk e i i
( d ed In in
p o sse ss o o f
Mu se u m o i
f F n e A rts, Bo sto n .
 H E R O IC STO R I E S 31 I

As he lay in wait fo r the myst e rious lad he h e ard t he sound ,

o f th e boy s lacqu e r e d clo g s on the planks o f t he bridg e

’
N e ar e r .

an d n e are r h e cam e until j ust as h e r e a ch e d the mi d dl e o f t he

bri d g e the g iant monk stood forth and cri e d : Stop O lad !
, ,

W ho art thou ?
U shiwak a paid no h e e d to t he chall e n g e The sturdy B e nke i .

tri e d to stop him but the b o y push e d forward without so much

,

as lookin g at the monk This provoke d B e nke i so much that he

.

aim e d a sword stroke at t he bo y which t he latt e r parri e d with

'

a blow that struck the we apon from the monk s han ds Unde r ’
.

stan d ing that he had a se rio u s fig ht o n his hands B e nke i caug ht

i

up his iron r o d but t he lad l e ap e d hig h in t he air and avoide d

,

th e powe r ful swin g ing blow To make matt e rs wor se he

.

laug h e d mo cking ly at t he an g ry mo nk who aim e d blow aft e r ,

blow at his e lusive oppon e nt all in vain The boy l e ap e d

—
.

around above be fore an d be hind him as if he we re a bird The

, , .

long training o f U shiwak a in his fe ncing match e s with t he

Le afle t Te n g us prove d its valu e and B e nke i had finally nothing
,
9
to do but to kne e l b e fore t he myst e rious lad an d ask his pardon .

E ve r a ft e r B e nk e i was a faithful r e tain e r o f U shiwak a and

fou g ht at his side in all his battl e s until at last he di e d fo r his
young lord s sake’
.

Th e r e are many tal e s o f t he warlike de e ds o f Y o shitsu n e as ,

U shiwak a cam e t o b e call e d and o f B e nke i his fri e n d

,
TO .

g e th e r th e y won g re at victori e s ove r the Taira s and to g e th e r ,

th e y we nt into banishm e nt wh e n Y o shitsu n e su ffe re d unde r h is

e lde r broth e r s j e alousy and su spi cion Th e se tal e s, e sp e cially
’
.

that o f the last de sp e rat e fi g ht and o f Be n k e i s la st mome nts,

,
’

wh e n he die d facing alon e t he arrows flying from the bows o f

his t riumphant e n e mie s a re told today with a n e ve r fl ag g ing
,
—

10
admira tion and e nthusiasm But th e y ar e t o o many and to o
.

long to be told h e r e and we will sp e ak o f only a sing l e e pisode

,

in the h e roic li fe o f Y o shitsu n e .

Afte r his brilliant victorie s which brok e the powe r o f the

31 2 J APA N E S E MYTH O LO GY
Taira clan Y o shitsu n e re main e d in the Imp e ri al capital ,
,

Miyako but he soon be cam e e strang e d from his e lde r broth e r

, ,

the milit ary d i ctator . The h e ad o f the Minamoto clan was e n

v io u s O f h is youn g e r broth e r s fam e and th e r e w e r e pl e nty o f
’
,

c ourti e rs who w e r e r e ady to f e e d his j e alou sy and his su spicion .

H e e nde d by banishing Y o shitsu n e , who was drive n o u t o f

Miyako by a surpri se atta ck H e took re fug e in Yoshino , a
.

place long famous fo r its be autiful ch e rry blossoms Th e re to o

—
.

he had t o tak e arms a g ainst t he tre ach e rous mo nks whom his
broth e r s e mi ssari e s had rouse d ag ainst him
’
.

Al l thi s tim e he was a ccompani e d by B e nke i and oth e r faith

fu l re tain e rs and al so by his mistre ss S hizu k a W h e n he was .

drive n out of Miyako o n e o f his li e ut e nants di e d fo r him His

, .

p e ril was such that he had to disg ui se himse lf as a mountaine e r

ing pri e st and to g o about with only o n e o r t wo followe rs The
, .

piti ful situation o f t he h e ro his sorro w ove r t he de ath o f his

,

faith ful r e tain e r , and his sad partin g with his mistre ss, are al l
subj e ct s o f favourit e l e g e nds .

The trag i c story o f Y o shitsu n e s banishm e nt mak e s a path e tic

’

e n d in g to his brilliant e arli e r car e e r From that time his life

.

was a succe ssion o f mi sfortune s and hardship s and he finally

11
m e t d e ath in d e f e at ,
but throug h it all he re mains nobl e and
courag e ous and the h e roic quality o f the man is shown n o l e ss
,

in his be arin g und e r adve r sity than in his triumph o n t he battle

fi e ld N0 oth e r h e ro o f Jap an wh e th e r historical or imag inary
.
, ,

is SO popular as Y o shitsu n e ; and no oth e r had a car e e r so full o f

brilliant romantic e xploits, o f path e tic misfortun e s, and o f
,

thrilling vi cissitude s .

The four c e nturi e s whi ch follow e d t he twe lfth witn e sse d the
ris e o f t he f e udal r ég im e W ar be twe e n t he clans was co n
.

t in u al a n d t he p e riod is naturally rich in h e roic roman ce s Most

.

o f t he stori e s ar e found e d too firmly o n historical fact t o be

tre at e d in a book o f mytholo g y But the ag e did produce a

.

g ood many stori e s o f h e roic d e e ds that w e r e wholly ima g inary

314 JAPAN E SE MYTH O L O GY
d e vils island O n th e ir arrival th e y attacke d the strong hold o f
’
.

t he d e vils and it prove d to b e n o t a di ffi cult task fo r th e m t o

,

subj u g at e t he mon st e rs Th e y cam e back with much tre asure

.

whi ch th e y had take n from the de vil s The o ld couple we l

.

com e d t he bo y j oy fully, and t he animal fri e nds o f Mo m o tarO

d an ce d b e fore th e m .

An h e roic tal e a ssociat e d with the fairi e s o f the se a, is that o f

”
Tawa ra TOd a the warrior TOda o f the R i ce bal e who is
,
-

sai d to hav e live d in t he e l e v e nth c e ntury O n e nig ht wh e n

.
,

Té da cro ss e d ths famous bridg e o f Se ta ove r t he outl e t o f Lake

Biwa he saw a monstrous se rp e nt lying o n the bridg e H e
,
.

pa sse d by it with calm compo sur e as if it we re nothing e x trao rd i

nary Lat e r that ni g ht a young woman paid a visit to his house
. .

S he e xplain e d that she was t he daug ht e r o f t he Drag on Kin g ,

an d that sh e admir e d him fo r the cool coura e which he had

g
S hown o n t he S e ta bri d g e for it app e are d that t he g r e at se rp e nt
,

was the young lady h e rse l f in anoth e r form She th e n aske d.

him wh e th e r he would unde rtak e to vanqui sh a monstrous ce nti

p e d e which was killing many o f h e r kinsfolk .

TOd a quit e r e ady to obli g e t he l ady w e nt o u t upon the bridg e

, ,
.

As he await e d the monst e r he wat ch e d the lig htning flash around

Mount Mikami o n the oth e r side o f the lake and he saw two ,

g laring li g ht s lik e burnin g mirrors the e ye s o f t he mon st e r

ce ntip e de TOd a shot two a rrows at thos e g l e aming e ye s, but
.

t he a rrows r e bounde d as if from iron plat e s Th e n TOda, re al

.

izin g that spittl e was a poison fatal to a ce ntip e de , shot a third

arrow we tte d with saliva The monst e r fe ll li fe l e ss and the
.
,

d ra g on folk we re sav e d from the thr e at e n e d e xt e rmination o f

th e ir whol e race .

The following nig ht the dra g on lady visite d TOda ag ain to

thank him fo r his valiant h e lp in tim e o f n e e d She ask e d him.

to honour he r and he r kinsfolk by visiting he r palace H e fo l .

lowe d he r to t he p alace unde r t he wate r o f the lake wh e re he ,

was e nt e rtain e d with e ve ry de li cacy that the wat e r can produce .

 PL A TES XXXVI XXXVII ,

MO MOTA R O T H E PE A C H L I N G BOY
, INT H E ISL E OF

D E V I LS R E C E I V I N G T H E IR HO M A G E

Mo m o tar é si ts u nd e r a p ine tre e su rro u nde d b y his

-

re ta i n e rs t he Mo n k e y the D o g a n d the Phe asant to

, , ,

w ho m the d e vi ls a r e b r i n g in g j e w e ls c o rals e t c
, ,
A .

la r g e ha t a n d a m a n tl e r a i se d o n a t a b l e t i n fro nt o f
Mo m o ta rO a re t he m yt hi c a l garm e n ts w e ari n g w hi c h
,

an
y o n e c o u l d p a ss u nn o t i c e d by o t he rs O n t he e x
.

t re m e l e ft t w o d e vi ls a r e t a ki n g t h e m yste ri o u s m a l l e t

( Se e p 2 8 6 ) t o g e the r w i th j e w e ls Se e p 3 1 3
. . . .

A p a i r o f scre e ns i n b r i g ht c o l o u rs by Shiw o k a wa
,

B u n r in ( la te 1 8th c e ntu ry) . T h e wo rk is dat e d

7
1 92 . In p o sse ssi o n o f Mu se u m o f F i n e A rts B o sto n ,
.
 C H A PTE R V II

S T O R IES O F A N IM A L S

H INT O animism is still a living force amo ng t he Japane se

p e opl e As we have se e n alr e ady Japan e se mytholo g y
.
,

bas e d its conce ption s o f thing s o n the b e li e f that e ve rything ani

mate o r inanimat e has its soul with activiti e s mor e o r l e ss analo
,

g ou s t o thos e o f t he human soul This be li e f is n o t se riously

.

e nt e rtain e d today but during t he p e riod wh e n myths and l e g

,

e nds had th e ir o ri g in , t he popular imag ination was full o f

animisti c imag e ry N o t only w e r e animal s and plants suppose d

.

to think and act aft e r t he fa shion o f man and woman but th e ir ,

m e tamorpho sis into oth e r forms o f li fe as w e ll as into human

b e ing s was the principal th e m e o f folk lore —
.

Budd hi sm e ncourag e d this animi sti c conce ption o f nature

throug h the t e a ching o f transmig ration Mankind is a ccord .
,

ing to thi s d o ctrin e only o n e o f t he mani fold pha se s o f e xist

, ,

e n ce which inclu d e ce l e stial b e in g s animal s plants and e v e n

, , ,

g oblins and d e mon s Animals are inde e d l e ss se l f conscious

.
-

than mankind and plants ag ain still l e ss mobil e and inte llig e nt
, ,

y e t th e ir liv e s may pass into tho se o f human b e in g s or into oth er

form s of e xi st e n ce Philo sophically sp e aking the Buddhi st

.
,

doctrin e is not m e re animism ye t as it was unde rstood by t he

, ,

popular mind it re ally amount e d to an e laboration and e xte n

,

sion o f the orig inal animism o f Shinto According ly the nai ve .

tal e s about animals an d plants which com e down from primi

,

tive tim e s, have o ft e n be e n e nrich e d by touch e s o f pity and

sympathy o r by sad re fl e ctions o n the mi se ri e s o f e xist e nce in
g e n e ral
,
whi c h S how cl e arly t h e influ e n ce o f Buddhist t e achin g s .

Since on e s de ar e st fri e nd aft e r his or he r de ath may have be e n

’
 STO R I E S O F AN IMALS 31 7
born ag ain as an animal o r plant and sin ce o n e may have once
,

pa sse d on e se l f throug h such a phase o f tran smig ration oth e r ,

e xist e n ce s are not h e ld to b e for e i g n and r e mot e but ar e co n ,

n e cte d with our se lve s in o n e way o r anoth e r e ith e r by a kin ship

,

in the p ast o r e l se in t he future The se r e fle ction s and se nti

,
.
r

m e nts e arly de t e rmin e d t he p e opl e s attitude toward other be

’

ing s stimulat e d the mythop oe i c prop e n sity o f th e ir imag ination

, ,

and de e p e n e d th e ir sympath e ti c inte re st in t he cre atur e s about

whom the tal e s are told .

Most o ft e n it is the odiou s shre wdn e ss o f som e animal o r an

amusing p e culiarity in its b e haviour that forms t he basis o f the
animal tale Th e re are also many stori e s about animals which
.

have shown sp e cial g ratitude o r attachm e nt to human b e ing s ,

and th e se usually re fle ct t he mutual inte rde p e nde nce o f all e x

iste n ce s and t he S p e cial e mphasis laid by both Buddhism and
Con fucianism o n the virtu e o f g ratitude N aturally th e se fa .

bl e s fo r such th e y are in fact have o ft e n a moral o r didactic

, ,

purpo se and som e o f th e m may b e h e ard o f wh e n we com e to

, _

sp e ak o f the didactic tal e s which are so common in Japan e s e

folk lore
—
.

Pe rhaps the olde st o f t he animal stori e s is that o f the W hit e

Hare o f Inaba ” 1
whi ch is tol d in c onn e ction with the a dv e n
,

ture s o f O h k u n i nushi t he h e ro o f the Izumo tribe

~ —
,
.

O nce th e re live d in t he i sland o f O ki a whit e hare H e .

wish e d to cro ss the wate r an d to re ach the mainland Accord .

in g ly he a ske d a cro codil e wh e th e r he had as many kin sfolk

,

as h e t h e hare h ad and pre t e nde d to b e li e v e th at t h e cro co d il e

, , ,

had ove rstat e d the S ize o f his family H e told t he cro co d il e to

.

call e ve ry o n e o f his tribe and make th e m l ie o n t he surfa ce o f

the sea i n a lon g r o w I can th e n ste p ove r yo u and count
ho w
.

”
many crocodil e s th e r e are in t he world sai d th e hare ,
.

The cro codil e s ag r e e d to t he propo sal and fo r m e d o n e lon g

row from O ki to the ma inl an d , so t he hare j ump e d ove r th e m
until it came to t he last o n e which lay close to the shore Proud .
31 8 JAPANESE MYTH O L O GY
o f the succe ss o f his trick, t he impude nt hare be g an to laug h at
th e e a se with whi ch the stupid crocodil e s had b e e n dup e d But .

he boa st e d to o soon ; t he last cro codil e se ize d him pluck e d o u t ,

all his fu r and sank be n e ath the wat e r So the unfortunate hare
.

was l e ft lyin g o n the b e ach nake d and shive ring .

N o w th e re was a family o f many broth e r s in Izumo E ve ry .

o ne o f th e m wi sh e d to win t he lov e o f a ce rtain princ e ss who

live d in Inaba Th e y all se t o u t fo r Inaba to lay sie g e t o t he

.

lady s h e art but the olde r broth e rs we re cru e l to the young e st

’
, ,

O h kuni nushi and made him carry all th e ir lugg ag e So the

- -

,
.

poor broth e r toil e d along far b e hind the oth e rs A s th e y walke d .

alon g the be ach the e lde r broth e rs saw t he hare and inst e ad o f ,

sympathizing with t he poor animal s pain th e y de ce ive d him

’
,

into thinking that he could r e li e ve it by plung ing into the se a

wat e r and th e n e xposing his body t o t he wind and sunlig ht .

W h e n the hare followe d th e ir mischi e vou s advice , his skin

cracke d op e n and bl e d, and he su ffe r e d intol e rably from the
pain Th e n O h kuni nushi cam e up piti e d the su fl e ring ani
.
- —
,

mal and told him to wash in fr e sh wat e r and cove r his body
,

with the so ft poll e n o f the cat tail The har e was ve ry g rat e
-
.

ful to the young man and said to him : N on e o f your crue l

broth e r s shall marry t he lady o f Inaba but yo u alon e shall win ,
”
t h e lady s h e art
’
The hare s words we r e fulfill e d O h kuni
.
’
.
-

nushi marri e d t he lady and be came the rul e r o f Izumo , and

wh e n a ft e r th e ir de ath me morial shrin e s we r e built fo r him and
his wi fe the W hit e Hare o f Inaba share d th e ir honours with
,

th e m .

I G R AT E FUL AN IMALS
.

The mo st popular o f the g rat e ful animal s in Japan e se folk

lore is the sparrow .

O nce upon a tim e a kind h e arte d o ld woman saw a S parrow

-

whos e win g s we r e inj ure d so that it could not fly She pi cke d .

t he bird up put it in a cag e and nurs e d it until its str e ng th was

,
32 0 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
spa rrow fl e w away wh e n its wound had b e e n h e al e d By and .

by the kin d wo man with her husband ma d e a vi sit to the spar

row s hou se whi ch was all built o f bamboo The sparrow and
’
.

its fe llows w e l com e d t h e old coupl e and e nt e rtain e d th e m ho s

p itably Th e y g ave th e m de licious food and drink and p e r
.

W h e n the o ld
'

form e d for th e m t he famo us sparrow da nce

2
—
.

coupl e took th e ir l e ave the sparrows pr e se nt e d th e m with two

,

ca sk e ts o n e larg e and o ne small The g ood o ld m an said : W e

, .

ar e o ld an d we c annot carry a g r e at c a sk e t lik e this so l e t us b e ,

cont e nt with the small e r o n e ”

W h e n th e y g o t home th e y
.

op e n e d the caske t , and o u t o f it came an une n ding succe ssion o f

pre cious thing s .

No w t he g r e e dy woman who had cut t he sparrow s to n g ue ’

was e nvious o f he r fortunat e n e ig hbours She inquire d wh e re.

t he sparr o w s hou se was to b e found and mad e a visit th e r e

’
,

to g e th e r with he r husband, who was like h e rse lf cove tous an d

, ,

j e alous Th e y we re e nt e rtain e d by the sparrows as th e ir n e ig h

.

bours had be e n an d wh e n th e y start e d home acce pte d t he

, ,

larg e r o f the cask e ts which we r e o ffe r e d th e m , be cause the y

thoug ht that it must contain mor e pre cious thing s than the oth e r .

W h e n th e y r e ach e d home th e y op e n e d t he cask e t and 10 ! n o t ,

j e we l s but g oblin s and monst e rs cam e o u t o f it and de voure d

t he g re e dy coupl e .

The di d a ctic purpose o f thi s story is quit e cl e ar .

An oth e r bird ce l e brat e d fo r its g rat e ful spirit is t he manda

rin d uck O nce upon a tim e says a popular story th e re was a
.
, ,

ri ch man who was e xtre m e ly fond o f birds O n e day he caug ht .

a b e auti ful mal e man da rin duck and brou g ht it hom e A c ag e .

was made fo r t he bird an d it wa s e ntru st e d t o t he care Of a

young se rvant The s e rvant took the g re at e st int e re st in t he
.

duck but it was de pre sse d and m e lancholy an d would e at noth

,

in g Th e s e rvant tri e d e ve ry m e an s h e c ould think o f to t e mpt

.

t h e bird s app e tit e but in vain

’
,
A maid se rvant who was e m
.
-

ploye d in the sam e house told him that S he could g ue ss why t he

 ST O R I ES O F AN IMAL S 32 1
duck was so sad The mandarin duck she said was always e x
.
, ,

tr e m e ly de vot e d to its mat e and t he captive was d oubtl e ss pin

,

in g fo r t he mat e from whi ch it wa s s e parat e d She ad vi se d the

'
.

man to l e t the duck g o l e st it should d ie o f sorrow The se rv .

ant was a fraid that his maste r would be ang ry if t he bird w e re

re l e ase d, but the mai d p e rsua de d him to b e me rci ful to the duck
e v e n at t he ri sk o f his mast e r s an g e r SO t he bird was se t fre e
’
.

an d it fl e w away in g r e at de li g ht W h e n the mast e r found t he

.

cag e e mpty he was furious The se rvant a d mitte d his fault and
.

a ske d pardon fo r h is care l e ssn e ss but t he ri ch man was by no

,

m e ans app e as e d and h e nce forth tre at e d t he se rvant with g re at

harshn e s s.

N ow wh e n t he maid se rvant saw th e unhappin e s s whi ch he r

-

advice had broug ht o n h e r fe llow se rvant she b e ga n by pitying ,

him and e nde d by falling in love with him The m an r e .

sp o n d e d both to h e r pity and to he r lov e and t he two show e d ,

th e ir mutual a ffe ction so op e nly that t he oth e r se rvants of t he

house be g an to sp e ak e vil o f th e m The mast e r a t last h e ard
.

t he g ossip about t he love a ffair o f t h e t wo s e rvants and som e ,

ho w l e arn e d t he share th e y had had in the e scap e o f t he man

darin duck H is ang e r was re kin dl e d and he bad e t he oth e r
.

se rvants bind the man and the g irl and throw th e m i nto t he
rive r Ju st as th e y w e re about to be cast into t he W at e r two
.
,

m e sse n g e rs fro m t he provincial g ove rnor app e are d o n t he

sce n e and announce d that a de cr e e j ust issu e d forba de any pun
ishm e n t by de ath within t he provin ce So the two s e rvants
.

we r e re l e ase d and take n by t he m e sse ng e rs to the g ove rnor s ’

o fli cial r e side nc e . O n t he way the su n se t and in t he du sk t he ,

two m e sse n g e rs s e e m e d to d isapp e ar lik e mi st The man a n d .

t h e woman soug ht fo r th e m in vain Th e coupl e lay d own to

.

S l e e p in an abandon e d hut wh e re t he two m e sse n g e rs app e ar e d

,

to th e m in a vi sion and told th e m that th e y we re in d e e d the

mandarin duck which had be e n se t fre e an d his mat e Th e y e x .

pre ss e d th e ir g ratitude to the t wo s e rvants re sume d th e ir shap e ,

32 2 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
as birds and fl e w away The two s e rvants marri e d and lived
.

happily e ve r a fte r loving e ach oth e r as de vot e dly as do the

,

mandarin duck and his mate .

In anoth e r story it is the d o g that plays t he l e ading part .

Once upon a tim e th e re was a local o fficial who was cove tous and
g r e e dy H e g o t mon e y by raising silk worms whi ch it was his
.
-

wife s duty to fe e d O nce she fail e d to re ar th e m succe ssfully

’
.

and the husband scolde d he r and turne d he r out o f doors .

Abandon e d by t he hu sband and l e ft with only o n e silk worm , -

she lavi sh e d all he r car e upon it O n e day the pr e cious worm

.
,

upon which he r hop e of a living de p e nde d was e ate n by he r ,

d o g Sh e thoug ht at first o f killing t he d o g so furious was h e r

.
,

ang e r but she re fl e ct e d that the worm could not thus b e r e

,

store d and that t he d o g a ft e r all was he r only companion

, , ,
.

S he was quit e at a lo ss ho w to sustain life but she calm e d he r ,

troubl e d mind by thinkin g of Buddha s t e achin g o f love and o f ’

karma .

O n e day he r d o g som e how had his nos e inj ur e d The .

woman found a whit e thr e ad protrud ing from the wound and
trie d to pull it o u t The thre ad cam e o u t e ndl e ssly until she
.

had g o t hundre ds of re e ls of fin e S ilk thre ad Th e n the d o g .

di e d She burie d t he animal unde r a mulb e rry tre e praisin g

.
-

Buddha for the g ra ce which he had shown he r throug h t he

do g . The tre e g r e w swiftly and silk worm s app e ar e d among —

t he l e av e s The S ilk which th e y produce d prove d to b e t he be st

.
.

in the country and t he woman sold it all to t he Imp e rial court

,
.

H e r form e r hu sband coming to l e arn of this r e p e nt e d o f his ,

r d and c u lty H r j oin e d his wif e and th e nce forth th e y

g e e r e e e .

live d in p e a ce and prosp e rity .

The list o f g rate ful animals is a lon g o n e It include s the .

cow the monke y fi sh e s t he do g the horse and e ve n t he wol f

, , , , ,

and the fo x 5 but the b e e is p e rhaps cast fo r this r 6 13 as ofte n as

any oth e r cre atur e The following is o n e of t he most popular
.

o f su ch stori e s .
324 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
be e n dri ve n from he r hom e by a crue l st e p moth e r and, since
-
3

she had n o pla ce to g o S he aske d if S he mi ht stay with him in

, g
t he cotta g e The nobl e man p e rmitt e d he r to do so , and in the
.

cours e o f time the two fe ll in love and we re marrie d The .

young wife g ave t he husband a quantity o f g old that S he had

broug ht with he r, and so the coupl e live d ve ry comfortably to
g e th e r .But th e ir idyllic life did n o t last long O n e day t he
.

fe udal lord o f the r e g ion org anize d a larg e hu nting p arty , an d

-

t he wife had to t e ll he r husband that she was in re ality t he cran e

whi ch he had once save d and that she must now re turn to he r
hom e in the king dom o f t he birds She took he r husband to t he
.

wonde r ful palace o f he r pare nts, but t he couple we r e finally

‘
s e parat e d by fat e .

II . R E V E N G E FUL A ND MALICI O US ANIMALS

Th e r e ve ng e ful animal is as common in Japane se folk lore -

as his g rate ful f e llow Som e tim e s the animals r e ve ng e th e m

.

s e lve s o n o n e anoth e r some tim e s o n mankind In th e se storie s

,
.

we usually m e et with an e xpre s se d be li e f in t he pow e r o f witch

craft whic h mali cious ani mals pos se ss, and th e ir a chi e ve me nts
ar e oft e n triumphs o f mali ce and shr e wdn e ss .Animal cunning ,
e sp e cially in nurs e ry tal e s, is contrast e d with human foolish

n e ss , whil e nothing is more common than a sup e rstitious dre ad

o f the pow e r fo r mischi e f that c e rtain animals are suppos e d to

posse ss Th e ore tically we may divide the storie s o f this sort

.

into those that are told fo r t he e nt e rtainme nt of childre n, an d

tho se which are t he product o f d e e p s e at e d popular sup e rstition
-
.

Y e t a g o od many stori e s a r e o n t he borde r lin e and partak e o f

both charact e r s and it is such storie s that un fortunate ly t e nd to
,

make childre n timid fe ar ful and sup e rstitious W e shall take

,
.

up first the stori e s o f wit chcraft and wicke d malice and g o o n ,

t o those whi c h ar e only tal e s fo r t he nurse ry .

The animals re g ularly cre dit e d with uncanny pow e rs are the
 STOR I E S O F AN IM ALS 32 5
fo x ,
bad
t he g e r ,
t h e cat an d t he s e rp e nt , oth e r animals ar e only
,

occasional ly said to be so gi ft e d W e have re ad about the se r

.

p e nt in conne ction with t he myt hs o f the Drag on tribe O f the .

oth e r thre e , the fo x is the most anci e nt fi g ure o f sup e rstition ,

t he stori e s about him dating from t he t e nth c e ntu r y o r e ve n

e arli e r .The cat and bad g e r e nte re d into folk lore lat e r, prob -

ably since the fou rte e nth ce ntury In e ve ry cas e C hin e se in .

,

fl u e n ce s s e e m to have g iv e n t he first stimulus to the Japan e s e

imag ination The e arlie st native lore hande d down n o sup e r
.

5
stit io n s o f this ki nd .

The mo st famous fo x wit ch is Tamamo n o Maye a c ourt

- - -

lady who is said to have live d e arly in the twe lfth ce ntury In .

re ality she was a ve ry o ld fox with an e ig ht forke d tail , and h e r -

p e culiar wicke dn e ss consiste d in turning h e rse lf into a be auti ful

woman and in brin g ing ruin o n a stat e by t e mpting its ru l e r to
'

sin . S he had succe e d e d wonde rfully in this disag re e abl e a rt in

India and China and th e n she came ove r to Japan than ks to her
, ,

powe r o f swift flig ht throug h t he air W hile she was e ngag e d .

in he r malicious ma chinations, he r se cre t was discove re d by a

wise n o bl e man who fin ally broke he r sp e ll by t he miraculous
powe r o f a divin e mirror B e for e t he mirror the fox lost its
.

powe r o f transformation app e are d in all its dre adful hide ous
,

n e ss, and fl e w away e astward An army s e nt in pursuit o f t he

.

monste r was aide d by the host o f warriors who issue d from the
mirror and the fo x was kill e d
, .

Its e vil spirit took r e fug e in a rock that stood o n t he prairi e s

o f Nasu , and so th e r e a ft e r any o n e human b e in g o r animal who
, ,

touch e d the rock was instantly kill e d The ston e was long .

known as t he D e ath stone o f Nasu no The e vil spirit was

- -

“
.
,

howe ve r finally e xorcise d by a virtuous monk and the rock

,

ce ase d to be a de ath stone -

.

This is the stor y o f a re ve ng e ful fo x : Once th e re was a p e as

an t nam e d Jin r o k u .O n e day he found a fox sl e e ping in the
bush e s upon his farm O ut o f pure mischie f he frig ht e n e d the
.

VII I— 22
 32 6 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
animal and chase d it until it was almost e xhaust e d, but he did
n o t kill it . Som e days aft e rward, Jin r o k u saw i n a dr e am a di
vin e fi g ure which told him that th e re was a g re at qu antity o f
g old in a va se buri e d de e p in his farm J o k u was not at first
in r .

so cre dulous as t o be li e ve in the truth o f the d re am, but wh e n

t he sam e vision app e ar e d ag ain an d ag ain to him and to oth e r

m e mbe rs o f his family he was te mpte d to un e arth the hidde n

,

tre asure Ke e ping the matt e r a s e cre t he b e g an with his sons to

.

d ig. Th e ir toil , howe ve r was un succe ssful , and he soon aban

,

d o n e d h is s e arch fo r t he mon e y .

Th e n in a dre am the sam e fig ure app e are d and re buking Jin ,

roku fo r his lack o f faith and pati e nce said : I am the patron ,

g o d o f g old and fortun e and I know we ll t he e xist e nc e o f all

,

t he tr e a sur e s in e arth Thou hast fail e d in discove ring this

.

tre asur e since thou hast not put full confide nce i n my oracle ,
,

and also be cause thou hast wi sh e d to ke e p t he re ve lat ion a se

cre t. No w th e n make a g re at fe ast i nvit e all thy n e ig hbours 5
, ,

make the re ve lation public, and b e g in to d ig in e arn e st Th e n .

”
thy succe ss will b e ce rtain Have no doubts inro k u was
.
J .

now thoroug hly convinc e d o f t he g e nuin e n e ss of the apparitio n

and did in all thing s as he had b e e n told This time a fe w p e n .

ni e s we re foun d and e ncourag e d by that re sult Jin ro k u d u g

, , ,

d e e p e r and de e p e r A fe w mor e p e nni e s app e are d o n e aft e r an

.

oth e r but n o tre asure was found, and Jin r o k u b e cam e an obj e ct
,

of ridicul e to all his n e i g hbour s So did the tortur e d fox re .

ve ng e itse lf on its torm e ntor .

Th e r e is no room to t e ll all the storie s o f this typ e , but we

will add o n e instance o f pur e mischi e f o f which the fo x was sup
pos e d to be g uilty .

O nce , lon g ag o a man w e nt , with his se rvant to look fo r a

, ,

lo st hors e Aft e r much fruitl e ss se arch th e y we re making th e ir

.

way throug h a m e adow Th e y saw a g ig anti c cryptome ria tre e

.
-

standing in the way, althoug h th e y had n e ve r be fore s e e n any

tr e e in this m e adow Th e y almo st doubte d th e ir o wn e ye sig ht,
.
 P LA TE XXXVIII
A B AD G ER IN T H E D ISG U IS E OF A BU DD H IST MO N K
A b a in di g i f B ddhi t m nk itting
dg e r s u se o a u s o s

b id
es e a w t r k t tl
a e -
th h
e e thon S p 32 9
e d ear . ee . an

TH E W O N D ER F U L T E K E TT L E in H g w
A -
a se a a s
’

Japa n e se F a ir y Ta l e S e r i e s, no . 16 .

A ro u i
g h d ra w n g by H o k u ssi ( e arly 1 9th ntu ry) ce .

In p o sse ssi o n o f Mu se u m o f F ine A rts Bo sto n

, .
3 8
2 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
The following is a charact e ristic story about a g olden
flowe r cat .

On ce upon a tim e a Samurai found a g olde n flowe r cat in

the for e st and broug ht it home t o his moth e r , who b e cam e e x

tr e m e ly fond o f it Som e tim e lat e r the cat disapp e are d and

.
, ,

imm e diat e ly the old lady be g an to avoid t he lig ht , complaining

that he r e ye s troubl e d he r sa dl y Y e t she woul d have no me di
.

cal tre atm e nt an d he r so n In sp i t e o f his anxie ty could n o t p er

, , ,

suade he r t o com e forth from the dark corn e rs in whi ch she hid
h e rs e lf Th e n sudde nly two o f the house maids disapp e are d
.
, ,

and n o trace o f th e m c ould b e found until o n e day, a se rvant, ,

dig g ing in t he g arde n discove re d the cloth e s o f the two g irls

,

cove re d with blood stain s, and o n digg ing furth e r uncove re d

-

th e ir bon e s The horrifi e d s e rvant hurri e d to the house to te ll

.

his maste r what h e had found, but he was m e t by his maste r s _

’

moth e r who in furious ang e r thre at e n e d the se rvant with de ath ,

,

i f he should t e ll anybody o f his discove ry The s e rvant was so .

much frig ht e n e d at the o ld lady s thre ats that he l e ft the hous e

’

in sil e nce .

A fe w days lat e r the Samurai s n e ig hbour saw the o ld woman’

washing he r bloody mouth in a brook n e ar t he hous e W hil e .

he wat ch e d he r a d o g cam e up and the o ld lady as soon as she

, ,

p e rce ive d the do g s approach l e ap e d ove r a h e dg e and ran away

’
,
.

This convince d t he n e i g hbour t hat the g ol d e n flow e r cat had

[

d e vour e d t he Samurai s moth e r an d tran sforme d it se lf into he r

’

like n e ss H e we nt to the Samurai and told him what he had

.

s e e n The latte r took s e ve ral dog s to his moth e r s room and

.
’

op e n e d t he door The witch cat was powe rl e ss be for e the dog s

.
-

and th e y promptly ki ll e d it .

Anoth e r story o f a mali cious cat is conce rn e d with shooting

a rrows O nce th e re was a Samurai boy who us e d to hunt with a
.

bo w and te n arrows O n e day wh e n he was l e aving the ho u se

.
, ,

his moth e r advis e d him to take o n e a rro w more than usual .

The bo y did as she sugg e st e d without asking the re ason H e .

 ST O R I E S O F A N IMALS 3
29

sp e nt the whol e day without s e e ing any g ame and as t he e v e ,

ning cam e o n he sat down to re st upon a ro ck W hil e he sat

, .

th e re e nj oying t he calm e ve nin g and the rising moon curiously ,

e noug h anoth e r moon ros e b e hind him In t he w e st

,
H e was .

amaze d at the sig ht and qui ckly mad e up his mind that it must
be th e work o f an e vil spirit A ccording ly h e shot an arrow at
.

t he s e con d moon It struck t he moon but re bounde d harm

.

l e ssly from it The boy S hot his se cond arYo w th e n his third
‘

.
,

and fourth and so on to the t e nth

,
all in vain Th e n he took .

the e l e ve nth and d i scharg e d that al so Th e r e was a dre ad ful

.

cr y and t he soun d o f som e thin

g falling to t he g round He .

we nt up t o the spot and found a gi ant cat lying de ad with a

mirror in its paws .

H e hurri e d hom e and told the adve nture to his moth e r S he .

tol d him th at she had s e e n a cat e arly in the morning counting

his arrows and she had advise d him t o tak e an e xtra arrow b e
,

cause she had thoug ht the cat s be haviour v e ry suspi cious The
’
.

cat it se e m e d had a mirror with whi ch it prot e ct e d itse l f a ainst

, , g
/
t he te n ar ro ws, but sinc e it thou g ht th e r e w e r e no mor e than

t e n it had th e n l e t the mirror fall and was hit by the e l e ve nth

,

arrow .

From the many nurse ry stori e s about re ve ng e ful animals we

se l e ct that o f t he fox cu b t hat took re ve ng e on a badg e r which
-

had be traye d its moth e r

‘

.
8

O nce a for e st was so mu ch ravag e d by the hunte rs that th e re

re main e d in it only a ba dg e r and a fo x an d the fox s mal e cub ’
.

Th e y live d to g e th e r in muc h di str e ss an d wh e n all th e ir provi

,

sions w e r e e xhau st e d t he fo x and t h e badg e r d e vi se d a plan to

,

g e t som e food The bad g e r fe ig n e d to b e d e ad an d t he fo x

.
,

turning itse l f into a human be ing carri e d the appar e ntly de ad

,

badg e r to the mark e t .

The fox g o t mo ne y fo r the badg e r and bou g ht food wi th it 5

th e n t he ba d g e r manag e d to e scap e an d made its way ba ck to
t he for e st .W h e n the provi si ons thus obtain e d we r e e xhaust e d ,
330 JAPA NE S E MYTH O L O GY
the animal s re p e at e d the trick, but this time the fo x playe d de ad
and the badg e r sold its body The malicious badg e r, howe ve r,
.

wishing to have all the food fo r itse l f cautione d the buye r t o

,

watch it care ful ly and to make sur e that it was de ad The m an .

who had boug ht the fo x kill e d it a cco rding ly, an d t he badg e r

a te up all the food and would not g iv e a tast e to t he fox cub —
.

The cub unde rstood the tr e ach e ry o f th e badg e r and plann e d

a subtl e re ve n g e O n e day he said t o the badg e r ve ry inno
.

ce n tly: Un cl e p e opl e know that both t he fox and t he badg e r

,

are e xp e rts in wit chcraft , but n o o n e knows which of us is the

mor e ski l ful in the art L e t us have a comp e titio n and se e

.

”
which is the cl e ve re st . The badg e r laug h e d at the cub s co n ’

c c it, but ag r e e d to the plan , inte nding t o find a way to g e t rid o f

t he cub also . S o t he two animals w e nt to g e th e r to the town to
try th e ir mag ic powe rs upon human be in gs As th e y cam e n e ar .

The badg e r
—

t he town t he cu b f e ll b e hind and d isapp e are d .

th e r e fore sat down to re st n e ar the e d g e o f the town ; by and

by it saw a long proce ssion passing ove r a bri dg e with t he pal m ,

quin o f a D aim yO in the ce ntre The badg e r was sure that this
.

S how was an illusion wroug ht by t he cub and j ump e d at on ce ,

into t he mi dst o f the pro ce ssion , crying o u t : Now, yo u stupid

cub ! I have discove re d thy tri ck Surre nde r to m e !
. But the
proce s sion was a r e al o n e , and the D aim yO s re tain e rs be at the’

insol e nt badg e r to de ath with th e ir stave s, whil e the cu b looke d

o n from a safe di stanc e S o the littl e cub took his r e ve n g e o n

“
.

t he murde r e r o f its moth e r .

A more amusing nurs e ry tal e is that o f The Monke y an d

the Crab .
” 9
O nce th e r e was a crab who live d n e ar a p e rsimmon
tre e W h e n the fruits we re rip e ning the crab wish e d to h ave
.
,

some , but since he could not climb t he tre e he aske d a monke y ,

to throw him down som e p e rsimmon s The monke y took the .

rip e on e s fo r hims e lf and thr e w t he unrip e one s down to the

_

crab The poor crab was hit by a hard p e rsimmon and, wh e n it

.

di e d, many baby crabs cam e o u t o f its womb .

332 JAPA NES E MYTH O L O GY
The s e rp e nt is also re g arde d as a symbol o f lasciviousne ss .

That ide a g ave ris e to many stori e s o f the obstinate attachme nt

o f a s e rp e nt to a woman and t h e cons e qu e nt birth o f a child
, ,

e ith e r human o r s e mi mon strous

-
S om e famili e s w e re e ve n b e
.

l ie v e d to have d e sce nd e d from such a union and to be prote ct e d

by th e ir se rp e nt pro g e nitor .

W e may add also that many a lake o r pond is b e li e ve d t o

have a se rp e nt as its g e nius thoug h it is not always cl e ar wh e th e r
,

a mythical drag on o r the a ctual re ptil e is m e ant Stori e s about .

th e se g e nii are much alike all ove r Japan , and n e arly the same
story is fre qu e ntly told o f di ffe re nt localiti e s Th e se s e mi .

mythical se rp e nts are be lie ve d t o po sse ss miraculous powe rs e s ,

sp e cially that of controlling we ath e r and o ffe ring s are made o n

,

t h e lak e sid e in tim e of droug ht

-
Th e mal e g e nii ar e said occa
.

sio n all y to t e mpt wom e n into t he wat e r , whil e t he fe mal e se r

p e nts may app e ar in t he shap e o f b e auti ful wom e n a n d marry

human be ing s Th e y app e ar som e tim e s as ordina ry s e rp e nts,
.

but many o f th e m are suppose d to have the powe r t o transform

th e ms e lve s into monstrous drag ons .

H e re follows o n e o f th e s e stori e s that o f t he male se rp e nt

“
,

Nanz O b é Th e re was once a Buddhi st monk call e d Nan z O

-
.

b6 . H e was de sirous,like som e Buddhists in t he Middl e

Ag e s , o f witne ssing t he work and h e aring the se rmons o f the
, ,

future Buddha Maitre ya, who , it was proph e sie d was to app e ar ,

in the world afte r some billions o f ye ars Guide d by a divine .

oracl e he de cide d to b e com e a drag on , and by that m e ans to

,

survive in the wat e r until Maitr e ya should app e ar, for t he

drag on is be li e ve d to b e so long live d as to b e almost im mortal
-
.

For this purpos e he r e tir e d to a lake si d e at t he foot o f Mount

-

Ko to wak e ; th e re he r e cit e d continually t he L o tu s o f Tr u t h and ,

by the virtu e o f that disciplinary act was g radually transform e d

into a se rp e nt .

O ne day he saw a young lady co ming t o him who said that

she was attracte d by his voic e as h e r e cit e d the holy t e xt an d ,
 PL A T E XXX I X
W E DD I N G OF MO N K E YS
W e d d ing ni m ls s c h as f x e s rats e tc
of a a ,
u o , ,
.
,

fre q n tl y t ld i n sto ri s an d d e p i c t d i n p i c tu r s
u e o e e e .

H r w h v a p i c t r o f t he w dd ing o f t w o
e e e a e u e e

m o n k ys e Th m o n ke y b r id g ro m si ttin g o n t h l e ft
. e e e

is si g i n g t h w d d i n g so ng wh i l the b ri d e w e ri n g
n e e ,
e ,
a

a w hi t h d c o ve r is r i si ng t he w d d i ng w in c p
e ea -

,
a e e -
u

on h r h e d O n th t b l b t w n th m ar s n a
ea . e a e e ee e e ee

l itt l p i n t r
e ea sym b o l o f l o n g vi ty
-
ee, d p r sp r ty a e an o e i ,

cr b
a ,
ls a s m b o l o f l o n g vi ty a d t he se
yo a we d e ,
n a -
e

k mb
o si g n i fyi n g
u , j y
o
”
b c a s o f a p l a y o f w o r ds ,
e u e

c o nn c t i n g t h
e w o r d k m b w i t h t he w o rd y
e k bu o u or o o ,

t o b e i n j o yfu l state
” ”
to b gl d
e a ,
S p 333 . ee . .

By S s n ( d ted o e In p osse ssi o n o f Mu s u m

a e

o f F n e A rts B o sto n
i , .
 STO R I E S O F AN IMAL S 333
wi sh e d to cohabit with him H e was surprise d at he r re qu e st ,
.

but o n l e arnin g that she was the se rp e nt g e nius o f t he lake , h e

c ompli e d with h e r wi sh and th e y live d to g e th e r in t he lak e A .

fe w days late r, t he wi fe se rp e nt said to him : Th e r e is a mal e

se rp e nt in anoth e r lake n e ar by who has lon g wish e d to marry
me . I f he shoul d come h e re t o se e m e he will sure ly b e ve ry
”
ang ry t o find yo u h e re Be r e ady fo r him . .

N o t long a fte r the oth e r se rp e nt app e ared , and a fi g ht im

‘

m e diat e ly b e g an The se rp e nt attack e d Nan z O—b O with its

.

e ig ht forke d h e ad and N an z O b O foug ht with his nin e forke d

-

,
— -

h e ad, for the e ig ht roll s o f t he holy scripture o n Nan zO b O S

- -
’

h e ad b e cam e e ach a h e ad and thus g ave him nin e Nan z O b O .

-

won the fig ht and the rival drag on fl e d di sco m fite d to its home
lake wh e re it live d as a smal l se rp e nt .

I V L OVE
. A ND MARR IAG E O F AN IMAL S

Love an d
mar riag e be twe e n d iEe re n t animal s o r be twe e n an
ani m al an d a hu m an b e in g ar e o ft e n t h e subj e ct o f Japan e s e
’

folk tal e s The mo st fa mous story is that o f the f e mal e fo x

-
.

Kuzu n o ha, who fe ll in lov e with a warrior an d live d with him

— -

throug h ye ars o f marri e d li fe The e pisode o f h e r pa rting .

from the son born o f t he marriag e has b e e n dramati ze d and to ,

that drama the sto ry owe s its popularity fo r as a tal e it has n o ,

16
sp e cial orig inality o r int e re st o f incid e nt In a similar sto ry .

t he spirit o f an o ld willow tre e O R yu by nam e , is marri e d to a

-

,
-

warrior and has t o part from him wh e n th e tre e is cut down In .

t he dramatize d form o f t he story t h e chi e f motiv e is t h e ag ony ,

S he manife st s as e ach ax e strok e cut s d e e p e r and de e p e r in to t he

tr e e .

A popul ar nurse ry t al e which t e ll s o f an animal marriag e is -

The Mouse s W e dd ing ”

Th e simpl e story r e lat e s ho w
’ 17
.

t wo yo un g mi ce we d de d quit e a s human b e ing s do ,

But an .

othe r ve rsion o f the story is didacti c in tone and inculcat e s t he

334 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
moral that a marriag e should b e arrang e d be twe e n e quals, not
be twe e n p e o pl e o f d ifl e re n t stations in li fe It says that a v e n .

c r abl e coupl e o f mic e we r e e xtr e m e ly proud o f th e ir only

daug ht e r and wish e d t o h ave he r marri e d to a p e rson o f hig h

rank But wh e n she was r e j e ct e d in turn by t he Moon, t he
.

Cloud and the W ind t he pare nts finally de cide d to g ive he r in

, ,
18
marriag e to o n e o f th e ir mouse cl e rks .

The O wl an d t he Eag l e is anoth e r popular story o f this

typ e O nc e upon a tim e it says th e re live d an o wl name d
.
, ,

Fu kuro H e fe ll in love with a bu ll fin ch Miss U so dori, who

.
,
-

live d in anoth e r fore st attract e d by the be auty o f he r S ing ing

,
.

Fukuro con sulte d his r e tain e rs t he crow Ku ro zae m o n and t he

,

h e ron Shim b e i as to h o w he mig ht win the favor o f Uso d ori

,
-
.

Th e y told him that t he lady had r e j e ct e d the suit o f the e ag le ,

Lord Uye minu -

N e v e r lookin g upward, i e fe arl e ss ) and
- —
. .
,

advi se d the o wl to abandon his hop e But the o wl woul d n o t .

follow th e ir advi ce and s e nt a l ove l e tt e r to U so dori throug h

- -

Miss Shij u g ara ( t he Manchurian g re at tit )

-
.

The l e tte r was both witty and passionate and Miss Uso ,

dori was so mov e d by it that she r e pli e d as follows :

I am in no way wo rthy o f yo ur love and admiration and do
n o t wi sh t o arous e t he j ea lousy o f oth e rs throug h a cce p ting your

love e sp e cially that o f Lord U ye minu Y e t in the distant

,
—
.

future , wh e n flowe rs shall bloom in H e av e n and fruits shall b e

rip e o n e arth , we shall m e e t in the w e ste rn paradise o f Amita
”
Buddha .

Fukuro unde rstood this r e sponse t o m e an a me e ting a ft e r

de ath and a polit e re j e ction o f his love D e j e cte d at his failure.

an d strugg lin g b e tw e e n his passion and his d e t e rmination t o b e

r e sig n e d, he sudde nly fo und com fort in the coun se l o f a ce rtain '

de i ty whom he worshipp e d This de ity re ve al e d to him t he

.

hidde n me aning o f the l e tte r : that the flowe rs in H e ave n we r e

stars t he fruit s o n e arth dawn and the paradi se a shrin e o f
, , ,

Amita Buddha o n the we st e rn side o f the hill Fukuro was

— .
336 JAPA NE S E MYTH O L O GY
and the te nde r lig ht o f the moon illumin e s the sce n e A woman .

app e ars and t e lls t he monk o f the g lori e s o f t he past, wh e n

fl owe rs bloom e d in the g arde ns and m u sic and fe asts made the
place m e rry Th e n she con fe sse s that she is in re ality t he spirit
.

o f the butt e rfly which e nj oys t he c ompany o f all flow e rs e xce pt

,

t he plum blo ssom ( Japan e se u m e ) which blooms v e r y e arly in

-

spring and she a sks the monk to l e ad he r t o the Buddhist e n

,

l ig hte n m e n t throug h whi ch she can liv e in communion with all

b e ing s She is th e n t ransform e d into a butte rfly clad in pink
.
,

with a g r e e n wre ath upon he r h e ad and vari e g at e d wing s The .

”
monk re cit e s t he scripture H o k k e leya The Lotus o f Truth
‘
-

, ,

a n d as he r e cit e s , th e butt e rfly sin g s and danc e s The last part .

o f t he dram a is compos e d o f t he fairy s son g and the chorus,

’

whi ch is as follows :
Fl o we rs l oom b ord ing to th e se asons
a cc ,

He r he art ro am s a m ong the st e m s o f t he tre e s .

He re c lose t o t h I m p e ri al garde ns i n t he d se rte d p ala c e grou nd

,
e ,
e ,

W i ld fl o we rs b ath e i n the so ft b re e z e o f sp ri ng ,

The ye llow b i rds [ Jap an e se n i ght i ngale s] si ng am o ng t he b ranche s ,

Se e the b u tte rfl y danc in g m on g the c lo u ds o f b lo sso m s

a ,

A m ong t he p e tals fl yin g l ike snow fl ak s -

e ,

Fl u t te rin g he r sl e e ve s a n d sw e p i ng a si de the p e tals

e .

O h ! what a c harm i ng si g ht i t is t o se e !
W he n t he sp rin g has p asse d a n d su m m e r has gon e ,

A n d au t u m n is p assing a n d a ll t he fl o w e rs a re w i the ring

, ,

The re re m a i ns only t he frosty wh i t e o f t he Chrysanthe m u m s .

Rou n d an d ab ou t the t i ny twi gs o n whi ch the fl owe rs re m a in ,

The b u t te rfl y danc e s l ik e a t u rn i ng whe e l ,

Tu rn i n g a n d wh i rl i ng She is tu rne d t o ward Bu ddhahoo d .

Se e t he fa i ry danc i n g t he dan ce o f the Bodh i satt va ,

O f t he dan c in g a n d si ng i ng c e le sti als .

He r fi gu re l i ttl e b y l i ttl e w i thdraws from u s ,

Into the dawni ng sk y o f the sp ring ni ght ;

'

Se e he r w in gs wa ve ring i n the wh i rl i ng c i rc l e s o f m i sts ,

Se e ho w he r fi g u re g radu al ly d i sapp e ars i n t he m orn i n g ha z e l

By way of transition t o t he stori e s Of t he plants and fl owe rs

l e t us add o ne more tal e of t he butt e rfly in which it app e ars ,
 PLA TE X L

T H E C L A SS I C A L D A N C E OF TH E BU TT ER F L I E S
The i
c la ss c a l d an c e , k now n as E u g a k u , is o f
t he -

contin e n ta ri g in b ing d r iv
l o ,
e I i I e e d fr o m nd a , n do
C h in C h i na an d Ko r a ; bu t s v r l f rm s o f i t w re
a, e e e a o e

d ve l o p e d i n J p n i n t h c o u rs o f t he 9t h l o th n d
e a a e e ,
a

1 1 th c e n t i s T h B tt e r fly D anc sh wn he r
u r e . e u e o e,

r p r s ti g b u tt r fli s d nc ing m o ng fl o w rs is n e
e e en n e e a a e ,
o

o f th s e eJ p n s v rsi ns
a a e e e o .

By Hiro tsu r ( d i d a To sa Sc ho o l
e S e p . e .

335 In p o sse ssi o n o f Mu se u m o f Fi n e A rts Bo sto n

.
,
.
 ST O R I E S O F AN IMALS 337
as the incarnation o f t he human soul roaming among t he fl o w
e rs which it had love d du ring its e arthly life .

Once upon a time th e re was a young man name d Sak u ni .

H is li fe was sp e nt in plan ting and t e nding flowe r s H e mar

.

ri e d a g irl wh o had t he sam e t aste s

. Th e coupl e care d fo r noth
ing but t he be auti ful flowe rs in th e ir spaciou s g arde n A so n
‘

was born t o th e m and th e boy inh e rit e d th e ir lov e for flowe rs .

Afte r many ye ars o f thi s idyllic li fe the husband and wi fe di e d .

The son cultivat e d h is plants and g rasse s mor e care fully than
e ve r, as i f inde e d th e y we r e t he spirit s o f h is d e ad par e nt s .

W h e n spring came the boy obse rve d that two butte rfli e s ap
e a r e d day aft e r day and flutte r e d to g e th e r among the flow e rs
p .

H e lov e d the butt e rfli e s and took car e that no ill b e fe ll th e m .

O n e nig ht he dr e am e d that his de ad pare nts cam e to t he g arde n ,

move d abo ut admiring t he flowe rs and finally b e cam e butte r

,

fli e s Ne xt morning t he b o y hast e n e d to the g arde n and found

.

the sam e b u tt e rfli e s flying about amon g t he flowe rs j ust as h e

,

had se e n th e m in his dr e am S o he kn e w that the love ly butte r

.

flie s we fe re ally t he souls o f his pare nts, and he fe d th e m o n

hon e y an d sh e lt e re d th e m care fu l ly .
 C H A PTE R V I II
STO R I ES O F P L A N TS A N D F L O W ER S

E have alre ady had occasion to S p e ak o fte n o f tre e s and

flowe rs and to t e ll ce rtain storie s about th e m Th e re are.

many such and all are base d o n the popular b e li e f that plants
,

are e ndow e d with souls n o t unlike t he human soul Th e re is

.

no hint o f malic e o r shre wdn e ss in th e ir natur e fo r t he tre e s and

,

flowe rs ar e thoug ht o f as pre tty fairie s o r S imilar be ing s, always

g e ntl e and mode st . Th e y conve rs e with o n e a noth e r o r with
human be ing s ; th e y have love a ffairs among th e mse lve s o r
marry human be ing s, like t he willow tre e , which , as we saw,
transform e d itse l f into a woman Th e y apply to Buddhist
.

monks fo r in stru ctions in Buddhist t e aching s and attain a ce r

tain de g re e o f e nlig ht e nm e nt W h e n th e y fi g ht, as th e y occa
.

sio n all y d o th e y are n e ve r fe roci ous In some instance s t he

, .

plant mani fe sts g ratitude ; as did t he g arde n radish e s which ap

p e ar e d as arm e d m e n and de fe nde d t he man who was e xtre m e ly
fond o f that ve g e t abl e .
’

The plants and flow e rs, like the inse cts ar e l e ss fi g ure s o f
,

folk lore than o f art and po et ry; and ye t th e y ar e ofte n p e r

—

so n ifi e d in po e t r y and som e o f th e se po e ms g av e ris e to int e r

,

e stin g stori e s ; mor e ov e r flo we rs th at ar e d e pict e d fr e qu e ntly in

pi cture s hav e com e to assum e quit e de finit e p e rsonaliti e s in t he

pop u l ar imag ination Fina lly the place s which plants and
.
,

flowe rs o ccupy in the fe stival s o f t he se a sons are clos e ly asso

cia t e d with t he mythica l p e r sons who ar e c e l e brat e d at thos e

fe stivals W e have s e e n alre ady that ce rtain plants are always

.

associat e d with t he S e n n ins and we shall h e ar more o f th e m

,
”
wh e n we com e to the Flo ral Cal e ndar .
34 o JAPANES E MYTH O L O GY
cut down and many wood cutt e rs we re se t at work But all the
,
-
.

cut s th e y inflicte d upon the st e m o f the tre e we r e myst e riously

h e al e d during t he nig ht and o n t he following morning the
,

g iant ch e stnut stoo d unh u rt .

This strang e ph e nom e non was owing to the fact that the
spirits o f oth e r tr e e s and g ra sse s r e sp e ct e d t h e iant tr e e as th e ir
g
king an d cam e e ve ry nig ht to h e al its woun ds Howe ve r it .
,

happ e n e d o n e nig ht that a ce rtain kind o f ivy, call e d k il o Izu m -

”
ieazu m o r o n e g rass ivy cam e with t he oth e r s to minist e r to
,
- -

t he g r e at tre e But the ch e stnut was too proud to b e nurse d by

.

such an insig nifi cant thing as t he ivy and r e j e ct e d its se rvice ,

.

The ivy was insulte d and plann e d to be r e ve n g e d o n the

haug hty c h e stnut tr e e So it app e are d in a vision to the wood
.

cutte rs who we re w e arying o f th e ir fr uitl e ss task and told th e m ,

how t he mira culous r e storation was broug ht about More ove r .

,

t he r e v e ng e ful ivy told th e m how to pre ve nt the h ealing by

burning t he t r e e W h e n thi s was don e t he wounds could not
.
,

be h e al e d and the g iant tr e e fe ll Th e place wh e re it fe ll is the

.

Tr e e B e a ch o n the Lake Biwa in O mi .

I I TH E G E N I I O F TH E PLANTS
.

Among the tre e s the pin e is the most conspicuous in the land
The 2
scap e and th e re fore in p ainting po e try and folk lore
, , ,
-
.

mo st re nown e d o f pin e tre e s are the t wo at Takasag o whos e

-

g e nii ar e said to app e ar oft e n in t he moonlig ht like a whit e ,

h aire d man and his wife cl e aning with b e soms the g round
,

str e wn with p in e n e e dl e s O n e v e rsion o f t he story make s the

-
.

husband the g e nius o f a pin e tre e that stands o n t he oth e r side

-

o f t he se a and it t e ll s how h e c om e s e ve ry ni g ht to Takasag o

,
.

The story is a ve ry sl e n d e r o n e and the circumstance that make s

,

t he tr e e s so famous is that th e y app e ar in a popular lyric drama ,

in which t he o ld coupl e call down bl e ssing s on t he p e ace ful

r e ig n o f the E mp e ror The song is in part as follows
.
 STO R I E S O F PLANTS A ND FL OW E R S
Th e wa ve s a r e s ti ll on t h fo u r se as
e ,

So f t b lo w t he t i m e w i nds ye t th tre e s
-
,
e

Sway not nor ru stl i ng fo l i ag e st i rs

, .

In su ch an ag e bl st a re th e fi rs
e

That m e e t an d a g e t o g e the r .

No r he a v nward look an d r ve r nt ga z e
e e e ,

No r w ords o f grati tu de a n d p ra i se
O u r thanks c an t e ll th t l l o r days
,
a a u

Pass i n thi s a g e w i th b l e ssings sto re d

By b ou nty o f our Sov e re i gn L ord !
3

This is a favourit e song at w e dding s an d the g e n i i , symbolic,

o f lon g e vity and conj ug al fide lity ar e al so displaye d o n such

,

o ccasions in miniature r e pr e se ntation s o n tabl e ts .

The cryptom e ria ( Japan e se ru g ) is almost as fre qu e ntly

me ntione d as the pine in Japan e se folk lor e It do e s n o t as -
.

sume t he fantastic S hap e s in which the pine ofte n g rows ; it is ,

o n t h e c ontrary , fam ous fo r its strai g htn e ss and symm e try and ,

fo r the luxu riant de n si ty o f its foliag e A g iant su g i o r a g roup

.

o f such tr e e s is fre que ntly asso ciat e d with a Shinto shrin e and ,
—

the tr e e has b e com e almost symbolic o f t he g loomy myst e ry o f

a Shinto san ctuar y a Gothic st ru ctur e so t o sp e ak, built by ,

nature s hands The su g i is also be li e ve d to b e t he favourit e

’
.

abode o f the Te ng u folk, who hold th e ir asse mblie s in su g i

g rov e s .

A ve ry o ld story in which t he su g i tre e app e ars is that o f t he

—

sanctuary o f Miwa which is de di cat e d t o the Gre at Land Mas - —

te r .

A woman who live d in Yamato was vi sit e d e ve ry nig ht by a

handsome man who wou l d n o t re ve al his ide ntity The woman .
,

wishing to know who he was ti e d a long strin g to his clothing

, ,

and followe d it wh e n he l e ft he r in t he morning She found .

that t he man dis app e ar e d in t he mountain o f Miwa at a spot

wh e re thre e g ia nt su g i tr e e s stood The g roup o f tre e s was
-
.

th e re a ft e r re g arde d as the abode o f t he divin e Gre at Land -

Mast e r and so t he sanctuary o f Miwa has n o t e mpl e buil d ing s

,

VI II — 2 3
34 2 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
but is sh e lte r e d by the tre e s S ome what S imilar stori e s are told
.

about s e ve ral oth e r Shinto holy place s .

The g e nius o f the k iwi o r g ing ko tre e is an o ld woman The

,
-
.

st e m an d br an ch e s o f the g in g ko as t h e tr e e ro w s o l d produc e
, g ,

curious p e ndan t ov e rg rowt hs which ar e fanci e d to r e s e mbl e a

woman s bre asts According ly t he g e nius o f the tr e e is h e ld

’
.

to have e sp e cial care ove r nursing moth e rs and it was oft e n -

t he custom o f moth e rs to worship an o ld g in g ko tr e e -

.

In quit e re ce nt ye ars a sing ular story b e came curre nt in TOk yO

c onc e rnin a
g g g in ko tr e e-
that g r e w in H ib iya Park in t he h e art ,

o f t he city .The place was orig inally wa ste g round in which

n o tr e e s g r e w e xce pt this o n e o l d g in g ko W h e n t he park was .

be ing con structe d the g ing ko b e g an to with e r, much to t he dis

,

tre ss o f t he g ard e n e rs E ve ry e x p e die nt was tri e d to ke e p it

.
‘

alive but all appare ntly in vain O ne day toward e ve ning ,

,
.

wh e n t he chi e f g arde n e r was stan di ng al on e by t he tfe e , co n

sid e rin g wh e th e r th e r e was anythin g e ls e h e could d o to p r e

se rve it from d e cay, an o l d woman sudde nly stood by him She .

a ske d why he was troubl e d and he told he r The o l d woman .

smil e d and sa id : The g ing ko is t he tre e o f milk as you know ,

.

N ow it is a lon g tim e sin ce this o ld tre e has taste d milk Pour .

pl e nty o f cow s milk about Its roots and the tre e will th rive
’

”
ag ain . Th e n she di sapp e are d as myst e riously as she had ap
p e ar e d Th e g arde n e r did as she advi se d, and the tre e be ga n at
.

"
once to re cove r its stre ngt h It still stands in the ce ntr e o f the
.

park .

I II TH E FL OW E R FAI R I E S
.

The Flowe r Fairi e s o f Japan e se folk lore are in all e sse ntials -

like the Buddhist Te n nin , and are always associ ate d in t he p o p u

lar mind with music and dancing W e h ave spok e n o f the fiv e.

fairi e s o f t he ch e rry blos soms ; th e re are two oth e rs which ar e

-

m e t with in t he lyric drama s O n e is the fairy o f the purpl e

.

wistaria that blooms e arly in summe r an d the oth e r is that o f ,

34 4 JAPA NE S E MYTH OL O GY
amon g mountain s wh e re a h e rmit monk re cite s e ve ry e ve ning
,

t he scriptur e H o khe hyo A woman visits the place e ve ry nig ht

‘
—
.

and sits out side t he h e rmitag e O n e nig ht the monk asks he r .

who she is She confe sse s that she is t he g e nius o f the hash o
.

‘
pl an t that stands in the g arde n S he says .

He re i n t he d e solat e g ard e n I ap p e ar !
Ha vin g bathe d i n t he d e w o f g ra c e ,
v
Be stowe d o n t he le a e s o f basho by the sho we r o f Tru th,
O f th e Tru th, wh ch is not e as ly to be m e t w th i i i
Be hol d Basho, thu s t ransform e d an d c la d n hu m an ro es, i b
i
Y e t w thou t ow e rs
”
fl .

( The n B aisho and the c ho ru s a l t e r na te ly)

Fra ilty a n d nc e e van e sc e

A re n o t m e re l y qu al i t i s o f wom anho od e ,

B t h r Ba shO c lad i n ro b s o f d u l l c o l o u rs
u e e ,
e ,

W i tho u t t he t i nts a n d b au t i s o f th fl ow e rs e e e

Stan ds shy w i th tatt re d Sl e ve s !

, ,
e e

( ashé d an c e s in
B c ho r a l so n g s )
W he the r se nt i e nt or d e vo i d o f se nse ,

W he the r a blade o f g ra $ or a t re e ,

i i
L fe is n o th n g b u t a m anf e stat o n i i
i i
O f t he u lt m a te re al ty, wh ch is w tho u t a n y d st n ct e m ar s, i i i i iv k
i
A form a t on no u r she d by ra n a n d d e w, i i
C om p o se d o f f ro st an d snow ,
i
A pp e ar ng on t he e l d o f t he u n e rsa l sou l , fi iv
O f t he c o sm os, p re se nt e e n n t he du st
5
v i .

i
L fe is only a d re a m , t rans e nt l e Ba shO s l e a e s!
’
i ik v
In the p al e p u r ty o f the m oonl ght, i i
i
C lad n t he ro e s o f i c e , b
i
W e ar n g the s rt o f frost , ki
v
W o e n o f t he wa rp o f frost an d the woo f o f d e w ( she d an c e s)
L e t he Moon fa ry s ro e o f f e athe rs,
ik i b
’
-

ik I v
L e he r , wa e m y sl e e e s o f anana l e a e s, v b -
v
v fl
The sl e e e s u tt e r n g l e fans o f anana l e a e s, i ik b -
v
i
A n d cau se w nd to swe e p o e r v
M scanthu s a n d p atr n a , grasse s an d o w e rs,
i i i fl
i i
G row ng n the d e sol ate garde n o f the he rm tag e i .
 ST O R I E S O F PLANT S AND FL O W E R S
D e l i c ate de w , su tle a s a p hant o m ,
a s t he b
i
All is d sp e rse d by t he w nd i .

i v
Blo w ng o e r t he g ant p ne tre e s, i i -

i v
Bl o w ng o e r tho u sa nds o f l e a e s a n d owe rs v fl .

Be ho ld tho u sands o f l e a e s an d o we rs v fl
v b
Ha e a ll e e n shatt e re d an d sc atte re d ;
fi
No g u re o f the wo m an c an b e t ra c e d,
v
Bu t t o rn l e a e s o f ba sho l i e u p o n t he grou nd !

A sto ry in whi ch the Buddhist e l e m e nt is ve ry c onspicuous is

” 6
that o f Mr Butt e rfly and his Flowe rs
. .

Th e re was a man who live d in a suburb o f Miyako and who

n e ve r marri e d but de vote d him se l f to cultivating t he flowe rs
,

in his g arde n B e side s t he flowe rs he had no oth e r companion

.

than his old moth e r to whom he was pro found ly de vot e d N0

, .

o n e kn e w his nam e but he was known a s Mr Butt e r fly

,
W he n . .

his moth e r d ie d he was l e ft alon e amon g his flowe rs but e ve n ,

th e y adde d to hi s me lan choly, fo r th e y w e re de stine d to fade

an d with e r and it g ri e v e d him to se e th e m d ie wh e n t h e fro sts
,

o f autumn cam e A S h e look e d about h is g arde n and li st e n e d

.

t o the mOIIrn fu l sound o f t he Buddhi st t e mpl e b e ll s whi ch ring

,
-

in t he dusk o f the e ve ning he could not k e e p his mind from ,

broo d ing on the e van e sce nce o f worldly thing s and h e finally ,

de cide d to abandon the world .

Accor d ing ly he b e cam e a h e rmit and we nt to live amon g the

mountain s far from Miyako O n e e ve ning th e r e was a kno ck .

ing at his g at e way H e w e nt o u t an d found th e r e an o ld lady

.

c lad in blui sh rob e s who aske d him to pr e ach t o he r o n t he r e

l ig io n of Bud dha H e h e sitat e d a t first to le t he r in but o n

.
,

s e cond thoug ht s d e cide d that he mig ht sa fe ly ad mit so o l d a

woman W hil e she sat in the h e rmitag e and list e n e d to t he
.

monk s discourse a young lady dre sse d in willow g re e n and

’

we aring a purplish mantl e cam e in and sat down qui e tly be si d e

t he olde r woman Th e n curiously e noug h as if e m e rg in g
.
, ,

from the mist more ladie s app e are d o n e a ft e r anoth e r o n e

, , ,

clad in ye llowi sh
g re e n anoth e r in whit e and p ink anot he r in
, ,
34 6 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
white and purpl e e tc Finally the cong r e g ation b e came a co m
,
.

pany o f n e arly thirty wom e n o ld an d young clad in var i e g ate d

, ,

c olours all o f whom list e n e d att e ntive ly to t h e h e rmit s se rmon

’
.
,
]

The h e rmit di d not kn ow what to make o f all this but he we nt ,

o n stoutly with his se rmon e mphasizin g the vanity o f t he

,

worldl y li fe and d e sc ribing the final de stiny o f al l e xist e nce s,

n o t only o f mankind but o f pl ants and b e asts as w e ll W h e n he .

made an e n d the wome n e xpre sse d th e ir appre ciation and co n

,

fe ss e d that th e y we re in re ality t he spirits o f the flowe rs he had

love d and that th e y had com e in orde r to S hare in his Buddhist
attainm e nt E ach o f th e m l e ft a po e m which was an e x pre s
.
,
7
sion o f g ratitude as we ll as a confe ssion o f faith .

As the last o f th e m disapp e ar e d the morning dawn e d ; the

,

g ra ss e s and bu sh e s that g r e w around t he h e rmita g e quive re d

so ftly in the morning air and sparkl e d ch e e rily with n e w fall e n -

drops The h e rmit was impre sse d an e w with the truth o f the
.

t e achin g that all cr e atur e s w e re de stin e d to b e com e Buddhas,

and he live d fo r the re mainde r o f his li fe in g re at pie ty .

A g ood many pre tty and romanti c stori e s are told to a ccount
fo r the orig in o f variou s pl ants and flowe rs O m lnam e sht ( P a
'

trinia scabio sa e folia ) , for instance , is a g rass with a sl e nde r stalk

and tiny ye llo w clust e re d flowe r s that bloom e arly in autumn .

Side by S ide with the de li cat e e ars o f su su ht ( Mi scanthus sin e n

'

sis) it b e nds and sways in t he autumnal br e e ze and sug ge sts t he

ide a o f t e nde rn e ss and submissive n e ss Th e re fore it is call e d

.

” 8
o m in am e shi t he
x
,
woman fl owe r .

The story o f its orig in is as follows

A ce rtain woman as the r e sult of a misunde rstanding be
, ,

l ie v e d h e rse lf to have be e n abandon e d by he r love r who was

name d O no no Y o rik az e S he th e re fore committe d sui cide by
- -
.

throwing h e rs e l f into a rive r that flowe d n e ar the man s house ’

.

W h e n She was buri e d a p e culiar kind o f g rass g re w o u t o f he r

,

g rave . This g rass was the Patrini a The love r Y o rik aze .
, ,

g ri e ve d bitt e rly fo r his unhappy mistre ss an d at l ast he t o o

34 8 JAPA NE S E MYTH O L O GY
wh e n the famous g e n e ral Kusu no k i ( camphor tre e ) came t o
- - -

the r e scu e o f th e tr e e s and se t fir e t o the g ra sse s the battl e was

de cide d in favour o f the tre e s Prin ce Susuki di e d o n t he fi e ld

.

and so did many o f his followe rs The Lady Yaye zak u ra, in
.
-

he r sorrow, shav e d he r hair and put o n t he robe s o f a nun .

H e nce S he is known by the n am e Sumi zome zak u ra -

ch e rry
-

tre e in black rob e s

I V TH E FL O R AL CAL ENDAR
.

Plants and flowe rs ar e o f course associate d with the se asons

, ,

in which th e y bloom , and are conspicuous in t he fe stivals th at

accompany e ach se ason Th e re is a ve ry we ll known Floral
.

Cal e ndar in which t he place s famous for e ach flowe r in turn

ar e nam e d, and po e ms and stori e s conc e rning th e m are r e lat e d .

The symbolism o f the flowe rs is de rive d chi e fly from th e ir re

sp e ctiv e ch aract e risti cs and from t he as sociations o f t he s e asons ,

an d t he stori e s to a larg e e xt e nt find th e ir source in po e tic

fi g ure s o r in mythical narrative s both native and fore ig n

,
.

Among t he fore ig n influe nce s the g r e at e st by far is that o f

10
Chin e se po e try .

In t he Floral Cal e n dar the se asons use d to be arrang e d

according to the months o f the old lunar cal e ndar ; and the dis
location cause d by the adoption o f the Gre g orian cal e ndar in
1 8 7 3 has b e e n adj ust e d in vari o us ing e nious ways W e shall.

g iv e t h e stori e s o f t h e Floral Cal e ndar as th e y are told to

day in TOk yO .

The plants fo r the Ne w Ye ar s days ( from January I st to the

’

7 t h, o r t o t he 1 5th ) a re t h e pin e t,
h e ba mboo and t h e plum

blosso m The pin e by its e ve rg r e e n n e e dl e s, re pre se nts pro s

.
,

p e rit y; t h e bamboo , t h e virtu e o f strai g ht for w ardn e ss Th.e

plum blo ssom is c hose n b e cau se it is t he first o f all flowe rs to

“
-

bloom W e have re ad o f the g e n i us o f the pin e ; that o f the

.

plum tre e is a Chin e se conce p tion , R afu se n , the Fairy o f the

- -
 PL A T E S X L I , X L II X L III X L I V , ,

T H E F E S TI VA LS OF T H E MO N T H S
Ne w Ye ar D ay The ntranc
’
s . e es o f th e ho u se on

t he le ft s id e a re d e c o ra t e d w t h i t he r e
g l u a r sym

b l
o s o f Ne w Ye a r
’
D ay, p n e a n d
s i b am b oo . Tw o
m e n we a ring b ro a d to ga l e ro e s -
ik b are t he Man z ai
dan c e rs, a r gu l r
ein By a f e a t u re o f t he o c ca s o . o s a re

p l yin g w i t h b w
a d rr w whi l g i rls i n i d t ho s an a o s, e s e e

l r t h r i g ht i d p layi ng h g a kind '

e n c o su e on t e s e a re a o -
z a
,

o f b ttl d r a d h ttl e k S p 34 8
o e an s u e co c . ee . .

Th J p n e M y D y t h d y f b y D l ls
a a e se a a ,
e a or o s
. o

r p r nti g l g d ry h r
e e se n t f rth i n t h h
e en a e o e s a r e se o e o u se

i n th ntr e d m in i t r w p n
ce e , an
p la d t a u e ea o s a re ce ou

s i d In e. f t h fl gs t h r i t h fi g r
one o f ShOki e a e e s e u e o ,

th d vi l h nt r ( S
e e
p 2 8 5 ) w hi l a d ll
-
u e th ee . e o on e

t p o f n th r fl g p l r p r nt ShOj O th m ythi al
o a o e a o e e e se s ,
e c

o r ng t ng l i k b i g S p 2 7 3 Th f tiv l
a -
ou a -
e e n . ee . . e es a

w b v d t h fi fth d y f th fi fth l n r m nth

as o se r e on e a o e u a o ,

now on May 5th . Se e p 34 9 . .

The t wo p ctu e s are ta i r k n fr

e a om seri e s f the o

fe st iv a s l o f t he we l e m o t v nt hs dr wn a on a
p ir o f a

sc e e r ns .

By I t c h O ( 1 6 52 w ho a d o p te d his ar t o f
i
t he c la ss c a l sc h o o l t o g enre
p a i nt ing s . In p o sse ss o in
o f Mu se u m o f F in e A rts, Bo sto n .

T O R T O IS E AN D C R A NE T H E SY M B O LS ,
OF

L O N G E VI T Y A N D PR O S P ER IT Y

No t e t ha t t he se ni m ls r p re se n t d fo r e m bl m ati c
a a e e e

u r o se s a r e c o m bi n e d w i t h t h p lan ts sym b o l izi n g t he e

p p
sa m e q ua l i ti e s. S pp 34 ee 8 —
34 9, 36 3 37 0
.
-
.

By G a n k o , i
an a rt st o f t h e Kan o sc ho o l . In pos
se ss o in o f Mu se u m o f F in e A rts, Bo st o n .
350 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
May 5th ; it is b e li e ve d to prot e ct ag ainst e vil spirits Fo r th at .

pur p o se its l e ave s ar e hung from the e ave s o f e ve ry house , and

put also in bath wat e r The practi ce o rig inate d in China The
—

g lob e fl o we r , ( Japan e s e ya/

. .

In ahu ht ) is admire d b e caus e o f its

’

brig ht ye llow col our The branch es o f the yam a bu k i bush

.
—

which be nd t e nde rly downward are associat e d, in po e t ry and

pai nting with the little stre ams b e side which th e y o fte n g row
, , .

The tr e e p e ony is symbolic o f e nchanting b e auty

-
A simi .

lar m e aning is attribut e d to fu yo ( Hibi scus mutabilis ) and

'

to t he hydrang e a ; t he form e r symbolize s a b e autiful but

unhappy woman the latte r a woman who is fascinating and

,

fi ckl e.

The flowe r of summe r most oft e n m e ntion e d in classica l

po e try is the blo sso m o f a kind o f orang e tre e tachthana ( Citrus
'

nobili s) t he tiny flowe rs o f which ar e Ve ry frag rant The

, .

l e g e n d de clare s that by the r e que st of the so ve re i g n, i t was

,

broug ht t o Japan by a noble from Tokoyo n o kuni o r t he E te r - —

,

nal Land a so uth e rn i sland wh e re the tre e s are always g re e n

, .

The frag ranc e o f the flowe r is a ssociat e d wi th t he song o f

t he cuckoo .More pop u l ar are the convolvulus o r morning ,

g lory, and t he pal e flowe r o f the bottl e g ourd o r e v e ning g lo r y

- -
.
.
,

The morning g lory is associ at e d with Kor e a , p e rhap s b e cau se its

-

” ”
oth e r nam e is Chose n o r Morning cal m, which is als o
,
—

t he Japan e s e name fo r Kore a The r e ade r will r e m e mb e r t he

.

‘
tale in Chapt e r V about t he e v e ii in g g lo ry, tak e n from the love -

a dv e ntur e s o f Prince G e nj i and the lyric drama found e d upon

,

it The fri e nd o f the moon in summ e r is the e ve ning primro se ;

.

its Japan e se nam e is t su htnu so o r the g rass that looks at the

'

,
”
moon . The cat t ail and similar plants are like n e d to t he fro g s
-
’

sp e ar s, the T e n g u s no s e e t c , and amusing picture s o f th e se

’
,
.

g r a s se s and animals a r e commo n in J apan e s e art ,

thou g h th e re

are n o sp e c ial stori e s about th e m .

But the most re al flowe r o f summe r is the lotus fl o we r first -

introduc e d from I ndia W ith Buddhism and always associate d ,

 STO R I E S OF PLANTS A ND FL OW E R S 352

with the Buddhist ide al o f p u ri ty and p e r fe ction It is symbolic .

o f purity, b e caus e t he plant g rows o u t o f muddy wat e r , and ye t

n e ith e r st alk n o r l e af n o r flow e r is d e file d by any stain The .

lotus fl o we r e mbodi e s the ide al o f p e rfe ction , b e cause its fruit

-

is rip e wh e n the flowe r bloo ms , symbolizing the on e n e ss o f

Buddhist in struction and e nlig ht e nme nt The Buddhist p ara .

dise is said to poss e ss a pond fill e d with ambrosia, wh e re in the

lotus g rows an d blooms in various colour s and with h e ave nl y
frag rance Th e re fore in e ve ry Buddhist t e mple g round th e r e
.
-

is a lo tus pond Stori e s ar e al so curre nt that lotus fl o we rs have

.
-

g r o wn o u t o f t he g rave s o f pious Buddhi sts The lotu s fl o we r .

-

is th e re fore the e mbl e m o f Buddhism and it is wide ly use d in

t he de co ration o f Budd hi st t e mpl e building s and in Buddh ist -

painting s Bu d dhas and Buddhist s aints are S hown se at e d o n a

. _

dais like lotus fruit with p e tals The soul o f t he dying Bud
- -
.

d hist is wa ft e d upward o n it and in ce m e t e ri e s the g rave ston e,

-

ofte n re sts o n a ca rve d lotus .

/
The c oming o f autumn is marke d by t he app e arance o f t he
s e ve n g rasse s which ar e : lei eye ( Platycodon g ran d i
fl o ru m ) a kind o f blue b e ll ; o m tn am e sht t he woman
'

, ,
”
flowe r alre ady spoke n o f ; fu yt haham a ( E upatorium sin e m
,
-

sis ) the
, wistaria sk irt wa re m o ho a fl o we r like littl e ,
-

cat tail ; haru haya su su ht o r o hau a o r Mi scanthus above spoke n

'

, ,

o f ; and he g t ( Le sp e de za bicolor ) a bush plant Th e s e a re al

'

.
,

ways a ssociate d with singi ng inse cts and the p e opl e g o to t he ,

fi e lds to admir e th e se charming wild flowe rs and at the sam e

time to liste n to the plaintive musi c o f the in se ct musicians .
13

Th e Mis canthus is t he flowe r fo r t he fe stival o f the ful l moon

in t he ninth lunar month wh e n pudding s are o fl e re d to ,

O Tsu k i sama o r
— -
Mr Moon ”
. .

In O ctobe r and Nove mbe r the chrysanth e mum an d t he

maple ru l e The white and ye llow o f the wild chrysanth e mum
.

brin g bl e ssing s from the foun tain o f youth wh e r e Ki k u Jid é -

,
”
the Ch rysanth e mum Bo y, re side s Its p e tals and l e ave s are .
352 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
dipp e d into sak e be e r which con fe rs o n man k ind the bl e ssings
-

o f h e al th and lon g e vity .

The vari e g ate d and dom e sticat e d flowe rs o f the chrysanthe

mum are nam e d a ft e r various po e tic fig ure s and l e g e ndary
charact e rs. The tal e o f The Chrysanth e mum Boy s Foun ’

tain and o f t he stre am that flows o u t o f it furni sh e s t he mo

tive fo r a fe ast call e d t he F e ast o f the W indin g Stre am ”
A '

win d in g str e am is made in a spacious g arde n fill e d with chrys

an the m u m s . Me n and wom e n who know how to make ve rs e s
sit scatt e r e d al ong the banks o f t he stre am Tiny woode n cups, .

r e d lacqu e r e d and flat in S hap e , are se t a fl oat at t he fountain

-

h e ad and com e dri fting down the str e am In e ach o f th e m .

th e re is a pi e ce o f pap e r o n which a po e tical subj e ct is writte n .

E a ch o f the p e r sons who sit upon the bank take s o n e o f t he

cups from the stre am drinks a cup o f sahe and compos e s
’

, ,

a po e m on the th e m e he has drawn The fe ast is a rhyming .

comp e tition and at the sam e tim e symbolize s a communion in -

t he ambrosi a of t he chrysanth e mum fountain o f e te rnal

yo uth .

The mapl e l e av e s thoug h th e y ar e not flowe rs are r e g arde d

-

, ,

a s akin to flow e r s In po e try and pai nt i ng t he cri mson o f the

.

mapl e is a ssociat e d with the m e lan choly whinin g o f t he de e r ,

b e ca u se t he animal is h e ard at the tim e wh e n t he l e ave s b e g in to

turn crim son S om e time s the mapl e is al so alli e d in po e try with
.

the brig ht moonli g ht o f an autumn e ve nin g ; th e re is fo r in ,

stan ce a po e m in Ko k in shu an antholog y o f the ninth ce ntury

,
-

, ,

whi ch says :
The fro sty oo nl i ght c o ld a n d whi te
m
Sh i n s so c l e ar that w e m ay s e
e ,
e

E a c h m ap l e l e a f fl o at f ro m it s t re e
-

A n d w e a ve a p e rf e c t tap e st ry
In si le nc e o f the A u tu m n ni ght ”
.
1*

The po e m o n the hatsu ra tre e in t he moon alre ady re fe rre d

-

to , also links the moon and t he mapl e tre e in the artist s imag i
’
 C H A P T ER IX

D I D A CT I C STO R I ES H U MO U R A N D
,

S A T IR E

I TH E ADAPTATI O N O F ST O R I E S T O
. D IDACTIC
PUR P O S E S

L MO ST any story can b e turn e d to didactic e nds by t he

skil ful fabulist but animal stori e s are be tt e r suit e d than
,

oth e rs to that purpo se In Japan it is mo st o fte n the t al e o f the

.

g rat e ful animal that is so use d fo r Japan e se e thics have always

,

laid e sp e cial e mphasis o n the virtue o f g ratitude No doubt .

many stori e s o f that typ e w e r e orig inally inve nt e d to conve y

m oral l e s so ns , t he wit o r shr e wdn ess o f the animals contrast e d
with the folly o r stupidity o f mankind and the human be ing is
-
,

disco m fite d be cau se he allows his r e a son and his morality to b e

ove rcom e by passion or app e tit e —
most fre que ntly by t he sin
o f g r e e d as e x e mplifi e d fo r instan ce by t he wi cke d woman in
, , ,
”
t he story o f The Tong u e cut S parrow, and by t he man who
—

d u g fo r tr e asur e at t he instanc e Of a r e ve n g e ful fo x .

A g re at many folk tale s we r e adapt e d to moral o r re lig i ous

-

purpo se s by the Buddhist pri e sts Th e y we re e sp e cially fond

.

o f u sin g romantic stori e s such as thos e o f Komachi o r o f Pr inc e

,

G e nj i , in orde r to t e ach the fl e e ting characte r o f physical be auty

and the sad k arma o f romantic love In like mann e r th e y
.

found m e ans to d e pict t he torm e nts cause d by hatre d, ang e r ,

arrog ance , and similar pa ssion s in stori e s o f the Te n g u who

w e re the re incarnations of de fe at e d warriors or o f the unhappy
-

de mon who could not sati at e hims e l f with r e ve ng e tho ug h he

 DIDACTI C ST O R I E S , HUM O UR SATI R E , 355

ve nt e d his animosity ag ainst o n e g e n e ration a fte r anoth e r o f his

1
e n e my s de sc e ndant s
’
.

O n e o f the stori e s that was cl e arly inve nte d t o t e ach a moral

”
l e sson is that o f The Hunte r and t he Littl e Monke ys Th e re .

was once a hunte r who shot a monke y H e broug ht it hom e .

and hung it up from t he ce ilin g in front o f the fir e place ; In -

t he ni g ht he was awak e n e d from sl e e p by t he nois e o f littl e pat

t e ring fe e t H e sat up in be d, and look e d about him H e saw
. .

by the lig ht o f the dying fire a numbe r o f littl e monke ys who

warm e d th e ms e lve s at the fire place and th e n o n e a ft e r anoth e r
'

—
,

tri e d to warm the co ld body o f the de ad monk e y in th e ir e m

brace Th e y w e re as he un d e rstood the childre n o f the de ad
.
, ,

monke y, and his h e art was so de e ply move d with compassi o n

that he n e ve r aga in we nt hunting but soug ht anoth e r m e ans o f ,

live lihood .

A warning ag ainst lazin e ss is found in t he story o f Chin chtn

'

”
Ko haham a o r
-
Th e Littl e Fairi e s o f t he To oth pi cks
,
-
.
2

Th e re was on ce a lady who did almost nothing fo r h e rse l f but

l eft e ve rything to he r s e rvants She had a curious lazy habit .
,

o f hidin g all t he tooth pick s she us e d b e tw e e n t h e mattin g s o n

—

t h e floor O n e nig ht , wh e n she was S l e e ping alon e she h e ard a

.
,

nois e close to he r pillow and saw many littl e m e n clad in ham l

sht m o ( a sort o f squar e shoulde r e d g arm e nt with a broad skirt
'

h aham a ) who danc e d and sang about he r b e d H e r sl e e p was .

disturbe d in this way for se ve ral nig hts in su cce ssion W h e n .

h e r husband cam e home she told him how she had b e e n an

noye d According ly he ke pt watch that nig ht, and wh e n the
.

littl e fairi e s app e are d he dre w his sword At once th e y fe ll .

down li fe l e ss and be hold th e y w e re t he o ld toothpicks that

, , ,

t he woman had hidde n away .

A didacti c tale o f hig h e r m e aning is the rath e r familiar story

of The Blind Me n who m e t with an E l e phant it is int e nde d
t o t e ach th e foolishn e s s o f se ctarian strif e and the dan g e r o f tak
ing a hal f truth fo r t he whol e
-
The story is o f Indian orig in
.
356 JAPA NE SE MYTH O L O GY
an d is fr e qu e ntly u se d by Buddhist t e ach e rs S e ve ral blind .

m e n on ce fe ll to di scussin g what an e l e phant was like Th e y .

c oul d not ag r e e and de t e rmin e d to t e st t he accuracy o f th e ir

,
'

r e sp e ctive conce ptions by a first hand e x am in atio n o f a re al e le

—

phant Th e y had th e m se lve s le d up to an e l e phant and e ach

.
,

man put forth his hands to fe e l t he animal The first man g o t .

hold o f o n e o f the b e ast s hug e l e g s and said that an e l e phant

’

was like the st e m o f a g iant tre e ; anoth e r fe lt the t runk and he

said that t he e l e phant was much like a snake ; t he third m an
climbe d up o n the back of t he e l e phant and he found t he ani
mal to be like a littl e hill ; t he fo urth to ok hold o f t he tail and
h e in sist e d that th e e l e phant was lik e a h a ssu a du st e r made o f,

hair The e xp e ri e n ce o f the blind m e n t e a ch e s u s that the g re at

.

truth s o f co smic e xist e nc e can n e ve r b e g rasp e d by those who

approa ch th e m from a sin g l e point o f vi e w .

11 TH E
. STO R Y O F BO NTE NKO KU

In som e case s dida cti c purpos e is combin e d with a ve ry florid

flig ht o f fancy S uch a story is that o f B o n te n k o k u o r the
.
,
”
R e alm o f Brahm a, whi ch dat e s probably from the sixt e e nt h
ce ntury It is o n e o f the most e laborat e o f Japan e se fairy
.

tal e s .

O n ce upon a tim e th e r e was a young prince o f hig h rank in

t h e Imp e rial court Aft e r t he de ath o f his pare nt s t he prince
.
'

de di cat e d his music to t he spiritual w e l fare o f the de ad by 3

playin g o n a famous flut e whi ch had be e n hande d down in his

family H e passe d se ve n days in this way ; o n the e i g hth , as
.

he sat playing his flut e a bank o f iride sc e nt purpl e clouds ap

,

p e a r e d in t he sky T h e c louds approach

. e d n e ar e r and th e r e in ,

he saw a ce l e stial b e ing who bore himse l f with d ig nity se at e d ,

in a g olde n chariot and att e nde d by b e auti ful ang e li c fi g ure s .

‘2
This re spl e nde nt be ing said to the pri n ce : I am Brahma the ,

Lord o f t he hig h e st H e ave n The m e lody o f thy flut e has

.
358 JAPANE S E MYTH O LO GY
wh e n the prince ss summone d th e m Th e ir roar was so t e rribl e
.

that the e mp e ror b e g g e d th e m to stop but th e y would obe y no

,

o n e but t he princ e t he husband of t h e ce l e stial lady

, .

N o t ye t discour ag e d the e mp e ror sai d to t he princ e : I p r e

,

sume that thou canst obtain t he sig nature o f thy fath e r in law - -

to g e th e r with his h e ave nly se al G e t it fo r m e or I shall not

.

”
p e rmit th e e to stay in my country .Th e re was nothing fo r t he
prince to do but t o g o himse l f to t he hig h e st H e ave n and ask
his fathe r in law fo r his sig n manual and his se al The fairy
- - -
.

provide d he r husband with a miraculou s horse which would be ar

him up to H e ave n W h e n he re ach e d Brahm a s palace he was
.
’
,

re ce ive d mo st ho spitably by his fath e r in l aw and e nte rtain e d

- -

sumptuously W hil e the prince was e ating t he ce l e stial rice

.

s e rve d to him his att e ntion was attra ct e d by a hag g ard and hun
,

g ry cre ature o f a re pul sive asp e ct whi ch was confin e d in t he n e xt

room The monst e r aske d the prince to g ive him a mouth ful
.

o f ric e , and t he c ompas sionat e prin ce did so N o soon e r had.

t he cr e atur e e at e n t h e ric e than h e brok e his f e tt e rs burst from ,

his ce ll and fl e w aw ay into the sky .

The star tl e d p r in ce inqu i re d about the e scap e d priso ne r and

l e arn e d that he was t he de vil king o f the south se a who had ,

trie d to g e t po sse ssion o f Brahma s daug hte r and had th e re fore

’

be e n put in fe tte rs and l e ft to starve But n o w, sin ce the ce l e s

.

tial rice e ndowe d an yon e who ate it wi th miraculous powe rs the ,

de vil had re sum e d his form e r stre ng th , and it was a que stio n
wh e th e r he could b e subdu e d ag ai n e ve n by Brahm a s warriors ’
.

The whol e a ffair was most un fortunat e but th e r e s e e m e d now ,

to b e no h e lp for it , and so Brahm a g ave the prince the divin e

sig natur e and t he se al . H e hurri e d ba ck to his t e rr e strial home
only to find that t he de vil king had alre ady carri e d away his
de ar fairy wife The distre sse d husband praye d continually in
.

t e ars to Kwannon t he g odde ss o f m e rcy that his wi fe mig ht

, ,

be re stor e d to him O n e ni g ht as he was praying in Kwannon s

’
.

t e mpl e , the g odde ss app e are d in a vision and told him how to
 DIDACTIC S T O R IE S, HUM O UR , S ATI R E 359

find the place wh e r e his wife was confine d Following t he g o d

.

d e ss s in struction the prince took ship and sail e d southward

’
,
.

Afte r sailing thousand s and thousands o f l e a g u e s his boat ,

cam e ashor e o n a rug g e d b e a ch Th e princ e lande d and be g an

.

to play upon his flut e Ce rtain d ark ski nn e d de vils w e re at

.
-

tract e d by the sound and th e y found his music so charming that

,

th e y told him wh e re t he captive prin ce ss was The prince we nt

.

thit h e r an d wh e n he came to t he palace he l e t his wi fe know

, , ,

o f his pr e s e nc e by m e ans o f his flut e , to whi ch S he r e pli e d by

playing in harmony with him o n he r o wn flut e The de vil king .

h ad b e e n cal l e d t o anoth e r pla ce and had g on e thith e r in h is

chariot which could trave l thre e thousand l e ag ue s a day The .

g uards who we r e in charg e o f t he prince ss w e re so much

charm e d b th e mu si c o f t h e flut e s t hat th e y o f
f e re d n o opposi
y
tion wh e n the prince put his wi fe in a chariot which t he de vil
king had l e ft be hind and took he r away This chariot h o w .
,

e v e r could trav e l only two thousand l e ag u e s a d ay

,
.

W h e n the g uards awoke from th e ir e nchant e d S lumbe r and

saw th a f t he prince ss was g on e th e y b e at sig nal drums that
sound e d throug hout all t he re alm o f the de vi ls The de vil .

king h e aring the drums, came back in a hurry, l e arn e d what

,

had take n place an d sta rte d at onc e in pursuit His chariot was
, .

soon abl e to ov e rtake t he oth e r an d h e would sur e ly have cau ht

g
th e m an d wre ake d his fury o n th e m if t he h e ave nly birds had
,

not app e are d upon t he sce n e and dr ive n t he de vils down to t he

bottom o f the subt e rrane an world S o the prince and prin ce ss
.

w e re save d and cam e safe ly to th e ir hom e .

It is said that this prince an d prin ce ss are the g o d and g odde ss

e n shrin e d at Ama no Ha shidat e , and that th e y prot e ct mankin d
- -

from th e malic e o f the de vils .

36 0 JAPANE SE MYTH O LO GY

I II HUM O UR
. A ND SATI R E

In most o f the didactic st ori e s the points are e mphasize d by

,

e xa g g e ratin g the r e sults e ith e r o f human wick e dn e ss or foolish

n e ss Th e s e e xagg e rations are o fte n humorous o r satiri cal

.
,

and it is oft e n hard to t e ll wh e r e t he didactic tal e passe s ove r

into m e re humour o r satire The sto ry o f t he fall e n S e nnin o f
.

Kum e is mor e humorous than se riou sly didactic, e sp e cially

wh e n we l e arn that t he S e nnin marri e d t he woman who caus e d
him t o lose his S e nnin powe r In t he story o f Kag u ya hime
.
—
,

t he stratag e ms and contrivan ce s inve nt e d by t he lady s suitors t o

’

g e t o r to forg e t he rare thin g s that t he Moon fairy r e quire d as

-

t he condition o f h e r con se nt to t he marriag e , are distinctly

amusin g .

Th e humorou s and satirical motive s that ar e found in so

many l e g e nds and folk tal e s w e r e fre e ly u se d by the wri t e rs o f
-

t he farc e s kn own as KyOg e n , which a re play e d b e twe e n t h e N O

dramas L e t u s g ive a fe w instance s; t he farce call e d Z aze n o r

.

4
Abstra ction -
has thi s plot
A man wish e d to visit his mistre ss but , in orde r to do so he
\
,

had to de ce ive his j e alou s wif e H e told h e r that he was g oing

.

t o sit for a day and a n i g ht in Z aze n a tranquil m e ditative

,

stat e , and that dur ing thi s tim e no o n e not e ve n sh e h e rs e l f , ,

should e nt e r his room But be caus e h e was afraid that his wif e
.

would com e into his room aft e r all , he o rde re d his se rvant to
sit in his pl ac e and cov e r hims e lf c ompl e t e ly with a larg e pi e ce

o f cloth Th e n he de parte d to his mistre ss , confide nt that he

.

had pre pare d for e ve ry e m e rg e ncy But his wi fe was too su s

.

icio u s to k e e p away from t he room for so long a tim e S he

p .

op e n e d t he door th e r e fore , and saw a man sitting with cove r e d

,

h e ad She spoke to him but as he g ave h e r no an swe r she

. _
,

pull e d o ff the cloth and found the se rvant sitting th e re inste ad

o f he r husband She s e nt t he man away and took his place ,
.
36 2 JAPAN E S E MYTH O L O GY
o f cups . W he n
youn g man found that he could n o t g e t his
t he

way by p e rsuasion he de t e rmin e d to g e t it by frig hte ning his

g oo d aunt S o h e g o t a d e vil mask and app e are d in that dis
.
-

g ui se T h.e t e rrifi e d old lady b e g g e d the suppose d de vil to tak e

all he r provi sion s if he would only spare he r li fe The young .

fe llow b e g an to drink unde r his mask and as h e g re w more and

mo r e intoxica t e d it b e cam e too troubl e some fo r him to slip t he
,

mask asid e whil e he drank According ly he put his ma sk o n

.

o ne o f his e ars turnin that sid e o f h is p e rson toward his aunt ,

g ,

and dr ank by putting t he cup t o t he side o f his mouth which was

turn e d away from he r His aunt b e cam e suspicious, made in
.

v e stig atio n and d e t e ct e d t h e de c e it She lost n o tim e in driving

.

t he drunke n n e ph e w o u t o f t he house .

IV . A N A GE O F DISCO NT E NT A ND SATI R E

Th e re was o n e p e riod in particular wh e n satire was ve ry pre v

al e n t in Japan e se lit e ratur e It cove rs the last part o f t he
.

e i g ht e e nth and the e arly y e ars o f the n i n e t e e nth c e ntury At .

that tim e the g ove rnm e nt unde rtook to ce nso r lite rary produc
tions and to e n forc e various irritatin g sumptuary r e g ulations .

The stori e s and nove l s o f the tim e ar e obviously and obtrusive ly

mo ral and have littl e lit e rary valu e A re action soon took .

plac e ye t th e r e was fo r a long time t o o littl e fre e dom o f e xpre s

,

sion Many a writ e r took r e fug e in hiding a satirical purpose

.

be n e ath a pre t e nde d se riou sn e ss o r in disg uis e d s arcasms a g ain st

,

t he r eg im e It is only in work o f thi s kind that any vig o ur o r

.

origi nality displaye d its e l f The usual productions showe d all

.

th e li fe l e ssn e ss and t e diou sn e ss o f a conve ntionalize d and arti

ficial lit e ratur e Among the imag inative wo rks o f this p e riod,
.

t he mo st popular we r e two books o f i magi nary j ourn e ys by

Bakin t he most voluminous writ e r o f Japan Th e y we re the

,
.

W a S é Byéye o r t he W ande ring s o f t he Japan e se Chuang

- -

Chu ,
Chuang be ing the Chin e se Taoi st who dre amt that he
 DIDACTIC ST O R I E S, HUM O UR , S ATI R E 36 3
had be come a butt e rfly, and doubt e d wh e th e r he himse lf had
be come a butt e rfly o r a butt e rfly had be come Chuang ; and
Mu so Byo ye o r The Dre am Vision man ” 5
'

- - -
.
,

The Japan e se Chuan g Chu was a re side nt o f N ag asaki H e

-
.

was on ce fi shing from a b o at wh e n a storm bl e w it far from

S hor e and he dri fte d o v e r t h e se a without knowing at all Wh e r e
—

he was Th e first land he re ach e d was t he Land o f Immortality

.

wh e r e th e re was ne ith e r illn e ss nor de ath The p e opl e th e r e

‘

we re all we ary o f life and praye d co ntinually to the g o d o f D e ath

t o de prive th e m o f li fe o r at l e ast o f h e alth , but all in vain .

W a S O himse l f afte r he had live d th e re fo r a time found him

-

, ,

s e l f too , wi shing to die sin ce de ath was the only thing that was
, ,

wanting th e re H e att e mpte d suicide by j umping from a hig h

.

d ifl but h is bo dy fe ll t o e arth so so ftly that he was quit e unin

,

j ure d Th en he tri e d to drown himse l f, but h e floate d o h

.

st in at e ly o n t he sur fac e o f t he wa t e r H is only e scap e was to .

mig rate to anoth e r r e alm which he finally su cce e de d in doing

,

o n t he ba ck o f a c ran e .

Th e l and to whi ch the cran e bo r e him was the Land o f

O pul e n ce Th e re t he p e opl e d e sire d pove rty so e arn e stly that
.

t he g o d th e y worshipp e d was Pove rty and t h e d e ity th e y

dr e ade d was W e alth Th e nce t he cran e carri e d W a SO t o the

. .
—

Land o f Vanity th e n t o the Land o f Antiquitie s, t he country o f

,

those who would n e ve r co nse nt to any chang e th e n to t he Land ,

o f W antonn e ss and fin ally to t he Land o f Giants

,
O n e o f the .

g iants picke d W a S O up to e xamine him and wh e n he dropp e d

—
,

him ag ain W a S O found himse l f at home in Nag asaki Unde r

-
.

t he pre t e nc e o f de scribin g th e sing ular cu stoms o f t he inhabit

ants o f th e se topsy turvy countri e s Bakin found it possibl e t o

-

de pict with n o little satiri cal humour many o f the p e culiariti e s

o f t h e so cial life o f h is tim e .

In a continuation o f this book W a S O b e com e s we ary o f his -

humdrum li fe at home and long s to g o a wande ring ag ain H e —

.

puts out to se a and this time a tortois e app e ars t o carry him t o
,
36 4 JAPA NE S E MYTH O L O GY
fr e sh adve nture s The first place to which the to rtoise bring s
.

him is the Lan d o f Purity wh e re he is an n o ye d by the finicky

,

n e atn e ss and cl e anlin e ss o f the p e opl e H e e scap e s and trave ls

.

by t he tortois e b a ck rout e to the Land o f t he Long l e gg e d and

- -

t he Lon g arm e d —
Th e s e stran g e folk had n e ve r thoug ht o f
.

dimini shing th e ir re sp e ctive de formiti e s by m e ans o f in te rm ar

r iag e but W a S O induc e d th e m to do so
,
-
B e fore he had an .

opportunity to o bs e rve the re sul t o f this e xp e di e nt W a S O had ,

-

to j ourn e y throug h mountain pa ss e s and j ung l e s to t he Lan d

-

o f t he Mi se r ; and th e n ov e r wide , t e dious prairi e s to t he La nd

o f t he Dauntl e ss O th e r re g ions he visite d we re the Land o f

.

Gold and J e we l s and the Land o f the Lo ng haire d and the —

Long e are d Barbarians whose life was not much hig h e r than
-

that of the b e ast s At last he cam e to the I sland o f W om e n

. .
6

W a SO was e ag e rly we l come d by the fe mal e inhabitants o f this

—

i sland who we re almo st mad at the ide a o f s e e ing and embracing

a mal e be ing W a S O b e cam e the g u e st o f honour at the cou rt
.
-

o f t h e qu e e n but found his position r e ally that o f a pri son e r

,

and tri e d t o fl e e H e awok e t o find that his adve ntur e s we re

.

nothing but a dre am .

Mu sO Byé ye The Dr e am Vi sion man was conducte d on

-

,
- -

his trave ls by U r ashim a, t he anci e nt h e ro who be cam e t he bri d e

g room o f t he Dra g on Princ e ss U rash im a g av e M u
. sO h is

bamboo fishin g rod and lin e , and Mu sO made a kit e from th e m

-

o n which he was abl e t o fly throug h t he air ,

The first plac e he .

visit e d was t he Land o f the Chil dr e n wh e r e the Fath e r the , ,

Moth e r and the N urse we re de iti e s re p re se n td by imag e s and ,

wh e re the p e opl e had nothing to do but play quarre l and cry ,

.

The kit e n e xt ca rri e d Mu sO t o the La nd o f Con cupi sc e n ce .

W hil e Mu sO stood amaze d at the sham e l e ss lust o f t he p e opl e

his kit e sail e d away and he was quit e at a lo ss ho w to pro ce e d
o n h is j ourn e y Th e n he m e t U r ashim a who was living as a
.
,

h e rmit among the lustful p e opl e and who g ave Mu sO a boat in

which he saile d t o the Land o f Pe rp e tual Drinking Mu sO was .
A P PEN D I X
37 0 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
or e i ght nth nt ri s b t th y c
ee ce si l
y b d t t d by r a n f t h
u e ,
u e an e a e e ec e e so o e

sup r ieor l i t rary p l i sh

e
g iv n th m by t h l i t rati f t h p
o f l T k e e e e o e eace u o u

ga wa p h O Sp c i m n f th i s cla s is g iv n b l w i n Th R ats
’
e oc . ne e e o s e e o e

C m p la i nt
”
o .

Th fi r t sp i m n w shall g iv is
e s ec son g f f li i t ti n
e th e e a o e c a o on e

a i n f b i l d ing a w h s wh r i n arly ll th l cky fi g r s

o cc s o o u ne ou e, e e ne a e u u e

of J p an a f l k lor
e se m b dd d :
o -
e ar e e e e

A tho u san d ye ars l e s the c rane , iv

i
Myr ad ye ars the t o rto se , i
i
N n e t ho u san d t he Pr m e m an o f t he East ( Té bé sa u ), i - -
k
i
E ght t ho u san d t he fishe r b o y o f U rash im a, -

O n e h u n d r e d an d six ye ars l e d G e n e ral O su e o f M u ra iv k i .

iv iv
L e l o n g , l e l o n g , as l o n g as al l t he se ad de d to g e the r ,
i
Twe n ty e ght tho u san d o n e hu n d re d an d six ye ars in p ro sp e r ty
-
i .

ii i
Sa l n g h th e r co m e s the Sh p o f Tre asu re s, i
i i
W th its sa l s o f ro c ad e an d sat n, b i
i i
W th c u rta n s p u rp l e in c o l o u r .

i
The re n are al l t he Se e n D e t e s o f go o d l u c , v ii k
i
Ban qu e t n g m e rr ly, e x chan g n g c u p s o f sahe , i i ’

bi
The y r n g he ap s o f fo rtu n e to the ho u se !

A nothe r ve s r ion o f t he s am e song is as foll o ws

A c r an e an d a t o r to se a i bi d e in t he ho u se .

The y p l ay b y th e p n e tre e ,1 i -

i
An d th e p n e tr e e an d am o o s p ro sp e r fo re
-
b b v er !

Last n ght I d re am e d a luc y d re am ,

i k
k k i
Lu c y, l u c y, n d e e d e ry l u c y v k
I saw t he Mo o n , t he Mo o n , as o n m y p l lo w I was l y ng, i i
b i
Em r ac n g t he r s n g S u n , ii
i ki
An d d r n n g fro m a go l d e n cu p t he am ro s a o f sahe ! b i ’

Th e i t me in the t h r d m o n th
is sp r i n g, i .

ik k
D a o u ap p e ars rst, fo l lo we d by E su , fi bi
An d aft e r the m m yr ads o f sh p s l o ad e d w th i i i t re asu re s!

Ne xt c om e s o n e
ngs o f i a n x i o f t he so t he p l ant n g se so e a lt ng Ta no -

kam i the Fie l d go d In thi s so ng Ta no kam i is c o nc e iv

,
-
.
- -
e d o f as a a y bb
S ho rtly to be b orn an d the allu si ons show that he is lik
,
e n e d to a n o l e b
baby p rinc e-

In In d ! 2i a,
yi re
’

i
In t he Pla n o f H gh H e a e n , yare! i v '

iv
Th e re l e s a go d, t he fathe r o f Ta n o - -
k mia sam e .
3
 APP E N DI X 37 :
In In d a, ya re ! i ' ’

In the p o n d whe re re e ds g ro w, ya re !
' ’

i
Th e re ab de s a go d d e ss, the m o th e r o f Ta -
no- k mi a sam e .

Ta -
no k mi
-
a
ya re !
sam e ,
' '

In wh i h m o n th was he co n c e ed? iv !
’

c
yi re

Be t we e n t he fi
rst an d t he th r d ! i
Ta -
no -
k mia
ya re ! sam e ,
' '

In i
wh ch m o n th w ll h e b e o rn ? i b
Wi i
th n l e ss than t e n m o n ths!

Ta -
no - k mia sam e ,
yi re
’

!
W ho is h is n u rse ?
Th e yo u n g p r i n c e ss o f th e D r ago n Pal ac e !

Ta -
no -
k mi a sam e ,
yi re
'

!
H o w is his b by d
a re ss c u t? yi ré !
Me asu re d se v tim
en e s an d c u t at o n c e ,
yi
’

re !

Ta -
no -
k mi a sam e ,
yi re
’

W h e re is t he fo u n t ai n whe n c e to t a e k wate r fo r b th i
a n
g h im ?
Th e V rg i i n ro c
-
k of Y am as h i ro ! 4

Tam o -
k mi
yi re !
a sam e ,
’

W ho fe t che s the wat e r to b at h e him ?

The yo u n g l o rd o f Kam a k u ra ! 5

Ta -
no -
k mi
yar ea sam e ,
'

O f what co l o u r is h is a y d r e ss? ya re ! bb ' '

It is p u rp le w th g ay p at t e r ns, ya r e !i ' ’

Ta -
no -
k mi a sam e ,
yi
'

re !
W hat has h is a y d r e ss, ya re !
c re st bb ' ’

Two fe athe rs o f a fal c o n w th n a p e n t ago n , ya rc ! i i ’ '

Ta -
no -
k mi a
ya re !
sam e ,
’ ’

W h e re shall we we l co m e h im ?
‘ ’

ya re
In the ho llo w p l a n o f M sh m a, i i i 6

A no th e r p lant ng song m a i k s hardly

e an
y allu si on to the my ths an d is
i
m ore l yr c al n charac te r i
i
Pl an t r c e p l an ts o n t he e lds,
-
fi
O n o u r d e ar e ld s; fi
Pl an t, p l an t u n t l the Mo o n an d the stars shi i ne !
37 2 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
I sho u l d b e g l ad t o p l an t r c e o n the e ld s, i fi
i i
U n t l the m o rn n g star Sh n e s an d e e n e yo n d that ! i v b
fi
If o n ly t he e ld s w e re m y e lo e d o n e s!
’
b v
A n o th e r sa ys

i
Po u r n g , p o u r in g fall s t he r a n , i
Y e t at l ast i t w ll c l e ar u p i .

W he n shall m y h e art b e Cle ar e d ?

This re fe rs t o t he fa c t that the p l ant i n g fa lls in t h r i ny n

‘

e a se aso ,

J n u e , an d t he n g is m o r o f a l o v
so e e so ng th n a p l nting s ng
a a o .

A so ng s u n g i n p i c king t e a l a v s -
e e

P i k pi k t
c , c ea -
le a v es in t he t e a -

p i ki
c n
g!
H o w m u c h has b e en
pi k c e d in te a p i kci ng ?
-

A t ho u san d l e a v es hav e b een

pi k c e d in te a p i kic ng !
-

An e v en tho u san d , p ik
c e d an d acc u m u l at e d o ne by o n e ;
Eve n as the pea k of F u j i is m ad e u
p of g ra i n s an d so l i .

Ne v b ti d v
er e re , ne e r ce ase to p i kl v
c e a e s,

P i k p i k w i th th h
c , c e an d s fu ll !

Thi s l i tt l e lyr i c is o fte n su ng i n b e ati n g whe at

So ft b re e ze , bi g st t ho u a m e ssage f ro m m y ho m e ?
r n

S o ft b r e e ze , i f tho u sp e akst, what is t hy m e ssage fro m ho m e ?

Th e f o ll o w i n g m u s be t ou r o n l y Sp e c i m e n o f t h e l u ll a y b . It is o ne

o f t he m o st a tt rac tive o f t he m a l l how e v e r

,

bb
Sl e e p , a y, sl e e p !
O n m o u n t a n s st e e p i
i
Th e c h l d r e n o f t he hare ar e st ray n g i .

W hy are the r so ft ro wn i b e ars so lo ng an d sl e n de r,

Pe e p i n
g bv
a o e the r o c s k whe re t he y are i
p l ay n g ?

i
Be c au se the r m o the r, e r e ye t t he y we re o rn , b
A t e t he l o q u at l e ave s in t he d e wy m o rn ,
-

b b
A n d the am o o g rass lo n g an d sl e n d e r -

That s why the e ars o f a y har e s are l o n g

’
bb -
.

bb
Sl e e p , a y, sl e e p to th e l l t o f m y so n g
” 7
i .

We ha v e sp o kn e o f the Ta na -
bt
f e st a a iv a d qu o t e d fr o m a n
l an an

c e i nt p oem on it ; t he re ar e m any p o p u lar so n gs m a d e f o r t h e f e st ival .

O n e is a s f o l lo ws .
37 4 JAPANE S E MYTH OL O GY
v
Fo r the y are l o e d by m e n an d l e w th th e m , iv i
A n d ar e fe d u p o n d e l c o u s fo o d s ii .

ivi
Cats are p r le g e d to sit o n n o b l e m e n s n e e s
’
k .

k
W hat b ad fo rt u n e ( arm a) h as c au se d u s to b e o rn rats? b
iv
W hy m u st we l e su ch a m se ra l e l fe ? i b i
v
W h e re e r we go in t he w d e wo rl d , i
Cats an d we ase l s th re at e n u s an d c hase u s .

i i
The c ats n de e d so m e t m e s f a l t o c at ch u s i
Bu t t he we ase ls an d se rp e n t s n e e r fa l v i .

i
Y e t the re is a p arad se e e n fo r u s, v
i
A su m m e r n ght whe n t he re is p l e n ty o f r c e an d c o rn i .

i
Bu t wh e n t he w n te r c o m e s an d fo o d is scan ty,
v i bi
W e h a e n o t h n g t o te o n b u t c as e t s an d p e c e s o f woo d k i .

i i
N o t h n g n u tr it o u s, b u t o n ly h ar d th n gs t o te i bi .

bi
To Bu ddha we r n g so m e o e r in gs ( in e x c re m e n ts) ,
i
Y e t we ste al o ft e n fro m H im th n gs that are o fl e re d t o H im .

S u r e ly we are i
d e st n e d t o a sad fu t u re ,
v
Al as c an it n e e r b e o th e rw se ? i
H o w m u ch m o re fo rt u n at e sho u l d we b e , i f, at l e ast,
b
W e we r e o rn a s wh t e r ats! i
N O T ES
 37 8 JAPANES E MYTH O L O GY

C H APT ER I
I . Fo r a ll t he c osm olog i cal m y hs t se e K o j ihz, p p
'

. 15 f ; Niho n g z,
.
'

1—
1 .
34 .

2. Ku n i
, ie -
t o k o t a ch i
t he O n e w ho st an ds p e rp e tu a lly o e r
-
. .
- - - - -
v
t he worl d ,
-
”
o r A m e —n o m in a k a n a sh , i e t he L o rd in t he c e ntre o f - -
i . .
- - - - -

he a e n
”
v I i
t is d sp u t e d w he the r the se tw o w e re o n e an d the sa m e , o r
.

i
t wo d ff e re nt d e t e s ii .
I

3 Ta a m i m u su
. an d Ka m k m i m a su b i
-
Ka m i n t he latte r
-
bi i - -
. i
nam e is re n de re d a o e by d ne , an d m e ans m rac u l o u s
” ”
b v ivi i .

4 Iz
ana g i a n d ana m i, g i e ng m asc u l n e an d m i f e m n ne
.
-
Iz -
bi i i i .

5 O ft e n nte rp re te d a s t he ra n o w
. i i b .

6 A st o n a n d so m e o t he rs se e h e re a t ra c e o f p hall c sm
. C f the ii . .

Hi n d u m yt h o f Pr am an t hyu s .

7 . It m
i nt r st t i t t h A i n p ar ll l f th p i
a
y be o f so m e e e o c e e u a e o e r

m le va
p l A r d i n
cou g t i t t h e.
p l g r d t w r k t g t h rt cco o ,
e co u e a ee o o o e e o

m k t h i slan d f Y z
a e Th h b n d b g n
e th t id o d th e o . e us a e a on e e as s e an e

wi f t h w st
e on W hi l t h m l d i ty w s hard at w rk
e e th .at e e a e e a o on e e s

e rn Sid t h f m l f ll t e, hatt ing w i th n th r g d d

e e d h w rka e e o c a o e o e ss, a n er o

con q ntly f l l f b hind th t f h h b n d S wh n h am

se ue e ar e a o er us a . o e e c e

t h r a ft r c m p l ti n g hi p rt i n t h g odd ss fi n i sh d h
o e e o p art i n a e s o o ,
e e e er

g re t hu rr
y
a T hat i s t h e r aso n w hy t h
. w st rn c o sts r e ro u gh an d e e e e a a

ru gg e d whi le the e ast rn shore s a r e lo w r n d le ss i nd ent d

,
e e a e .

8 Th na m e Ya su is u su l ly i nt rp r t e d as m n ing
. e p e ac e a e e ea .

B t ano th r i nt e rp r ta t i o n is t ha t i t m e nt
u e m ny s n d b anks or e a a a -

b ro d riv r b sin The n atu ral b sis f t h c o nc p ti n m ay b e the

a
”
e -
a . a o e e o

Mi lk y W ay or t h r inb o w e a .

9 Th n am e U zu m e m ns w o nd rf l
3) ( C
. e bl ssm g She is ea e ,
e u .

u su all r r e nt d w m an o f m rr x r e ssi o n an d w i th a r o u n d
y p s s o e e
y p e a a e e , ,

fl t f ce
a S e Pl t s I X
a . d XX III e a e an .

10 Mo re is sa i d a b o u t t his sto ry i n C h p t r II
. a e .

1I O f t hi s shr i n o f Ki ts k i we S h l l sp a k m o r t han nc b lo w
. e u a e e o e e .

C f a lso N L Sc hwart z Th G r t Shri ne o f Id zu m ”

. . . TA SI ,
e ea o,

x l i, 1 9 18 .

12 . The re v ral
a r e se e n am es o f th i s g d o . It s eem s t ha t se ve r a l per
ns w re m bi n d i t

“
so e co e n o o ne .

13 . Pla c e d i n th i l n d e s a of A wa , p ro b ab ly m an ing th p n ins la i n e e e u

t he so u th e ast rn c o rne r o f J ap an
-
e . L n d f Et rn i ty a w s o e
”
a con

c e iv e d t o b b yo n d t he xp anse o f t he
e e e P c ifi O a n c cea .

14 . Niho n g z,
’

i .
32
-

33 .

15 . O f t he co nn ct i o n b twe e n this t r
e e e e an d t he m o o n w e sha ll se e

mo r e b e lo w .

16 . It ha s b n ee
po int e d ou t by D r . S . Kana zawa t ha t t he co rre
 N O TE S 37 9
sp o n d e n c e the se p r d c ts w i th th p arts o f t he body form s a p l y
o f o u e a

u p o n w o rd s n o t i n J p n s bu t i n Kore an
, T he p ar ll e ls i n Ko r a n
a a e e . a e

a r e a s foll ows: m o i f r h a d an d m fo r horse ; n

‘‘
f r ye s an d
r o e ar u n o e nae

f o r si l kw rm ; p i f o r b lly an d pi a f o r r i c e ; p hi f o r th e g e n i tals
o a d e oc an

p i f r whe at ; h i f o r e ars d h i z f o r p an i c ; hh f o r nos

'

or o u nd an u r a e a

k h g f o r b ns ( t he T ih h B g h
on ea 1 90
7 pp 99 Th i s s m s e o u u n
-
a a
, , . ee

to p r v th hyp th si s that t h sto ry cam ov r to J ap an fro m K r

o e e o e e e e
’

o e a,

or ha d ori g inate d b f o r th t wo p e o p l s w r s p arat d e e e e e e e e .

17 A wh i t h o rs is o ff e r d t o T atsu ta h i m
. e a g o dd ss o f w i nd
e e -
e, e

a n d w athe r a n d l so th e g e n s o f au t m n w h n ra i n is ask e d f r
. e ,
a iu u ,
e o .

A b lac k h o rse is o ff r d i n p r yi n g fo r t h c ssat i o n o f r i n e O f thi s

e a e e a .

g odd ss w e shal l h ar m o re p r s nt ly
e e e e .

18 C A W alsh Th Ma t S i g r s f J p
. . .
( in th W isd m f
,
e s er n e o a an e o o

t he E a st se r i e s) p p 7 4 8 4 , .
, .

19
. Niho n g i,7 5 ; K o j i k i, p 99 i . . .

20 . W alsh, pp 4 7 , 4 8 . .

Se e fu rt he r t he a u tho r s R e lig i o u s a n d Mo r a l D e v e l o pm e n t o f
’
21 .

t he Japa n e se , C hap te r I .

22 O f the se re al m s w e shall p e a k a ga n n c onn e c t o n w th ghosts

. S i i i i
a n d Sp r t s ii .

2 3 T h e se qu o ta t o ns a r e f ro m t he v e rsifi e d
. i
e rs o n o f th e J i z o v i
.W asan m ad e by C l a ra A W a lsh, n he r Ma ste r Sin g e r s o f Ja pan , pp . i .

6 6 6 8 , a dap t e d f ro m L a f c a d o H e arn s p ro se e rs o n
—
’
C o n c e rn ng th e i v i . i
i ki
d e ty Jiz O ( Sans r t, K si ti g a r hha ) , se e t he a u tho r s B u d dhist A r t,
’
-

C hap te r III
Th e m o u rn fu l t u n e o f t he hym n is e ry m p re ss e , an d
. v i iv
i
t he au t ho r h m se l f c a n n e e r f o rg e t t h e d e e p m p re ss o n m a d e n h is v i i i
i
c h l dho o d , whe n h is n e gh o u rs w h o ha d l o st the r l ttl e c h l d c hante d i b i i i
i
th s hym n .

24 . Sa ns r t B u dd ha Kshe tr a ki Bu d dh sm te a che s th e e i ste nc e o f-

. i x
b
innu m e ra l e Bu ddhas, w ho ha e a p p e a re d n t he world n t h e p ast, a n d v i i
wh o a r e t o ap p e ar n t h e fu tu re i
The p ara d se s a r e t he a od e s o f t h e . i b
ast Bu d d has
p .

2 5 Se e fu rth e r S B E v o l
.
,
a n d A n e sa ,
B u d d hist fl r t , Chap te rs . xxi ki
I an d II .

26 Se e fu rthe r A ne sa , B u dd hist A r t, Chap te r

. ki II .

27 i
Be s d e s t he f o u r e l e m e nts d str u te d to th e f o u r qu arte rs, e arth,
. i ib
th e fi
fth e l e m e nt, was su pp o se d t o sta nd n t he m d d l e a n d t o ru l e t he i i
M d dle K ng d o m Th s latte r e l e f was n o t no wn n ap an
i i . i b i k i J .

28 T he t w o se ts o f gu ard ans, n the r g rap h c o r g lyp t c r e p r e

. i i i i i
se n ta t io n s, c o rre sp o n d a f te r a fa sh o n to t he Chr st a n sym o l s o f t he i i i b
v
f o u r E a ng e l sts a n d t he i
g u re s o f t he A rc hang e ls The re sp e ct e fi . iv
J ap ane se nam e s fo r th e fou r g e ni a r e : Shu ja u , G e m b u , Se i ryo , i -
k - -

a n d B ak k o
y
-
.
g8 o JA P ANE S E M YTH O L OGY

C H APTER II
I . tory is to ld in the Fu d o ki
T he s -
o f Iz u m o , wh i h is
c one o f t he
f e w an c i e nt B u d o hi p re se rve d
/
-
.

2 Niho n g i, i 53 54 ; K o j i ei, p p 6 3— 6 5
. .
—
. .

T h e a e l lat i o n Sh ora i is u su a l l u n d e rst o o d to m ea n fu tu re ,

3 .
pp y
I i
bu t su sp e c t t t o b e a c o rru p t o n o f a Kore an t t l e T he a e s S o m n i i . n m i
a n d Kota n a r e n o t a a n e se
p J
t is a no wn fa c t that the sto r e s o f . I k i
Su sa no wo a re n so m e p o nts c on n e c te d w t h Ko re a
- -
i i i .

4 Th e sto ry is t o ld n t he P u d o k i o f H tac h , wh e re the se t wo

. i -
i i
i
m o u nta n s a r e se e n c o nsp c u o u sly Se e Plate s X an d X i . II III .

5 Se e a o e , p 2 2 9
. b v . .

6 The n am e Na se m ay m e an
. D e ar O n e or Be No t e a l o u s J .

A n o the r na m e so m e t m e s g e n to t he m a n is Na a sa m u ta t he Mid i iv k -

d l e C o ol F e l d i
A z e m a y m e an e t he r Tra l
”
or My D e ar, ”
i i
an d anoth e r na m e is U n a k a m i aze i t he Tra l on t he S e a -

7 In n i nt J p n t h c t m f organ izi n g t hi s m t ing m ng

. a c e a a e us o o ee a o

y n
oug m d w m n w t h s m
en v ryw h r
an T h p m s o e as e a e e e e e. e oe ex

ch n g d b tw n N e
a e d A e obs r b t m nt to th is: I
e ee as an z ar e cu e, u a ou

w l d h v th
ou O A e d r t d l ik a y ng p in t r w i th p i s
a e ee, z ,
e co a e e ou e ee e ce

of h m p h n g i n g on th b n h s
e T h r p ly i :
a Th i i n g t i d e ra c e . e e s e r s e

m y on c l th
a c O Na e y t v n t pp i ng v r i ghty i l t
ea ee, d r k s ,
e e e s e o e e s e s an oc s

I w ld d i r to f ll w th !
ou Pi c es f h m p h n g i ng
e r fr o o ee e es o e a e e s

to a harm s d to b ind l v rs
c u e o e .

H APTER III C

I In . f t h v rsi n ri b d t Hin yam a i n Tang t h m

o ne o e e o s a sc e o u -
o e an

is an ld m d h
o d p t t h f i y M ny m an anmp t f r h r e a o s e a r . a en co e e o e

f v r b t l l f th m fai l
a ou ,
S fa t h t ry s m b l s th t f L a dy
u a o e . o r e s o re e e a o

B ri ll i an whi h is t ld b l w ce , Wh n h i tor rg h t m arry

c o e o . e e r su s u e er o ,

sh fli s away t h
e vn
e o ea e .

2 S .Eng l i h tr n lati n i n B H C ham b l i n Th C l i l

e e an s a s o . . er a ,
e ass c a

P o e tr y o f t he Ja pa n e se , L o n d o n, 1 8 8 0 The latte r p art o f the trans .

i
l at on is re p ro du c e d e l o w b .

3 T h e .
p J
a an e se p hra se f o r a stro n g p ass o n is t h e r e a st a fl a m e i b .

4 C f Niho n g i, p 36 8
. Fo r a p o e t c e rs o n o f t he e g hth c e ntu ry
. . . i v i i
B H C h m rl a n J p P L n d b
n i — I

“
t 1 1 1
9 , pp I I
s e e a
. e , .a an e se o e r
y, o o , 3 . .

i
L a fc a d o He arn te lls t he st o ry n his O u t o f the E a st, L o n d o n , I 8 95, i
i i
n the art c le , The D ream o f a Su m m e r D ay The re a re m any .

o th e r E n g l sh e rs ons, e g , A L W h te ho rn, W o n d e r Ta l e s o f O ld
i v i . . . . i
J a an , pp 7 1 ff ; Y O a
p ,
. T h e a an e se F a ir
p .
y B o o le , e t c
. z ki J .
38 2 JAPANE S E MYTH O LO GY
6 . Bu t t he p la c e is sp e c ifi e d as Mo u nt T o ga ku sh i i n Shi nano .

7 . C f in fr a , p p 306 ii
. .
, an d A L . . W hi te horn W o n d er Tale s o f ,

Japa n , p p 1 2 9 ff
. .

C H APT ER V

C f K o j ik i, pp 2 6 1— 2 6 4
1. . . .

2 W ho the m o the r wa s t he t ale d o e s not say: p ro a ly she was in

. bb
te n de d to p e rson fy Natu re i .

3 T h e c u rse wa s t h s : t he m o the r m a d e a
. as e t o f a m oo , p uti b k b b
i
the re n sto n e s ta e n fro m a r e r a s n, an d m k ed n t am o o l e a e s iv b i -
ix i i b b -
v
an d sa l t The w o rds o f t he c u rse sho w t hat t he l e a e s w e re nte n de d to
. v i
sym o l b iz
e
g rowth a n d w t he r ng , wh l e t he sal t sym o l e d the e bb an d i i i b iz
fl o w o f t he t d e s o f t h e se a i .

4 C f C h
. a m e rl a n, Ja an e se P o e tr
p.
y ,
L obn d o n ,
1 9 1 1 , p p 1i6 —
18 . .

5 n S . I p d ki
ans r t , S a dd ha r m a — u n ar i ha Fo r m o re a o u t th s o o . b i b k
i fl
a n d it s n u e n c e se e A n e sa ,
R e lig i o u s an d Mo r al D e ve l o pm e n t o f the ki
Japan e se , Chap te r III
; a n d Ni c hir e n , the B u d d hist P r o phe t .

6 Many ot he r w om e n a r e typ e d by the r nam e s, m o stly ta e n

. ifi i k
fro m o w e rs Th e y a r e t he l a d e s W sta r a , Mu g wo rt, Yo u ng Fe rn,
fl . i i i
an d P n Plu m , w h l e othe rs ha e su ch nam e s a s E e n n g M st, C c ada,
i k i v v i i i
o r W ld D u c i ki
n the C lo u ds O f t he Lady E e n ng g lo ry we shall . v i -

he a r m o r e p re se nt ly .

b
7 T he sym o l s c o ns st o f a r o u s c o m nat o ns, a m o u nt ng t o
. i v i bi i i
fi fty t w o o r fi fty fo u r, o f fi ve e rt c a l l n e s w t h o n e o r t wo ho r o nta l
- -
v i i i iz
i b i
l n e s The se sym o l c p a t t e rns w e re o r g nally u se d in a g a m e o f dis
. i i -

i i
c r m na t n g t he se e ra l i arie t e s i n i n c e n se vC f t he au tho r s Japa
’
v i . .

n e se fl r t .

8 Yo n e No g u c h , The Spir i t o f Japan e se P o e tr y, ( W isd o m o f the

. i
i
E ast se r e s) , L o n d o n, 1 9 1 4 , p 1 1 2 . .

9 T h e anana
.
p lant i s b
a l w ays a sso c a t e d w th f ra l ty a n d e ane s
-
i i i v
ce n c e i n J p an s l i t rat re Se e C h p t e r VIII
a e e e u . a .

10 E ve n i n g g l o ry
. is t he na m e g iv n t t h fl o we rs o f t he
-
e o e

b o ttle g o u rd p lant The p al fl w rs bl o m i ng in th du sk o f e ve ning

-
. e o e o e

su gg st so m th i n g l o n e ly a n d m lan c ho ly a n d w l l sym b o l iz e th e t e m
e e e ,
e

p ram e n t a n d fate o f t he u n fortu nate g i rl

e .

H APT ER VI C

1 . O b se r ve t hat t he sto y h s mr i m i larit i a so e s es w i th that of Su sa

no -
wo .

2 .C f Niho n g i, . i . 2 00— 2 1 0 ; K o j zlez, p p

' '

. 2 0 5— 2 2 3 . The atte m p t
o f a m o de rn ap an e se J sc h olar to m ake ou t o f th e p r i nc e a p rop he tic
 N O TE S 38 3
re d r is su re ly a tota l fai lu re W r fe r to i t i n ord r t o show ho w
eem e . e e e

m u ch i m p or ta n c t he J p n e se g iv to th se e rly l g e n ds
e a a e e a e .

3 H e is d e ifi d a d kno wn as Ha ch i m an t h g d o f the E i ght

. e n ,
e o

Banne rs He b c am l ate r t h p atron d i ty o f t h Mi nam o to c lan

. e e e e e .

Se e su pr a , p 2 52
4 . . .

5 The nu m e r . fo u r b
n th s an d s m la r c ase s is t a e n from t he i i i i k
b
nu m e r o f t he fou r gu ard an ngs n Bu ddh st m ythol o gy, fo r w h ch i ki i i i
c f su pr a p 2 4 2 , a n d A n e sa
.
, ,
B u d d hist fl r t
. ki .

6 C f Japan e se Fa ir y Ta l e S e r ie s, No 1 8 , The O g re s A r m
’ ’

. . .

( t r by Mrs T H am e s) , an d No
. . . . J
T h e O g re s o f O ye ya m a .
-
.

i
7 G e n is the S no a p a ne se p r o n o u n c ia t io n o f t he C h ne se d e o
.
-
J i i
g ra m wh c h was u se d t o d e s gnat e t he n a m e M na m o to , w h l e H e i o r
i i i i
i i
P e i n c o m p o u nd w th G e n wa s that o f th e na m e Ta ra T h e t w o e p cs i . i
a re H e i he Mo n o a t ar i a n d G e m P e i S e isu i hi an e x an de d e rs o n o f v i
g p
- - -

t h e fo rm e r Se e fu rthe r on the se c o n c ts, D e B e n n e vi ll e , S a it o

. fli
Mu sashiho B e n k e i .

8 Fo r t he a p p e aranc e o f t he T e ng u s, se e C hap te r V, su pr a,
. I
p 287
. .

i
9 Not c e t he C hr sto p ho ru s m o t e so c o m m o n n f o l l o re
. i iv i k .

10 . iz v i
The dram at e d e rs o ns o f so m e o f th e se a r e a c c e ss l e n G B ib i . .

Sanso m s Eng l sh t ransl at o ns o f th e Né dr a m a s

’
i i
Be n e at t he -
ki
Barri e r an d Be n e n t he B o at, n TA SJ x l, I 9 1 2 kii i .

11 ik
L e his u nc l e , T a m e t o m o , a c c ord ng t o so m e tra d t o ns, h e is
. i ii
i v v
sa d to ha e g on e o e r t o Y e o, a n d e e n farthe r to t he A s a t c c o nt n e nt, z v i i i
an d t o ha e
g v b
e c om e G e n hiz Khan .

12 The rst dra ft o f t he sto ry is the S o g a Mo n o g a tar i p ro a ly f r o m

. fi -
b b
fi
t he i
rst ha l f o f t he th rte e nth c e ntu ry The re a re se e ra l dra m a t e d . v iz
v i
e rs o ns fro m t he fi
fte e nth c e ntu ry an d f o l l o w ng c e ntu ri e s A cir i .

c u m sta n c e that a dd e d t o t he p o p u lar ty o f t he sto ry is that t he r e e n e

g i v
i
wa s c o m p l e te d n t he c a m p o f a larg e hu nt ng p arty o rg an e d by i iz
Y o r ito m o a t th e fo o t o f Fu
‘

ji .

. . i
I 3 C f W h te ho rn , W o n d e r Ta l e s o f O ld Ja an ,
p p I F air y .

Ta l e S e r ie s, No 1 , an d se e ral othe r o o s on ap ane se f o l l o re

. v b k J k .

i i
Not c e n t he st o ry a t ra c e o f t he sto ry o f R am a s e p e d t o n t o C e yl o n
’
x ii .

That sto ry ha d l o n g e e n no wn in ro u gh o u tl ne s t hro u g h Bu d dh st b k i i

b k
o o s, tho u h not
g er
y w d el
y c r c u l a te d v
C f K W atana e , i
O ld e st i b
/
. . .

R e c o rd o f t he Ra m ayana n a C h n e se Bu d dh st W r t ng , ”
( J R 18 , i i i ii
Jan .
_

Japa n e se F ai r y Ta le S e r ie s, No 1 5 ( t r
14 . . . b y B H C ha m . . b rlai n )
e

W hi te horn W o n d e r Ta le s o f O ld Japa n , p p
, . 1 39 if .
384 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY

C H APT ER VII
1. Japan e se F air y Ta le Se r ie s, No . I 1,
pp 6 8 —
71 . .

2 . a p ro v r b : The sp arro ws n e ve r f o rge t t o danc v n

He n c e e e e e

whe n the y are a hu n dr d ye a rs o ld e .

”

3 Th i s f r qu e n tly oc c u rs i n sto ri e s f t h Mi ddl e A g s i n J p an

. e o e e a .

4 Thi s is a n x a m p l e o f a vi si t t o t h w o nd r f u l p al c e b y nd
. e e e a e o

t he a c tu al w o r ld .

5 M W d e V i ss r
. . Th Fo x an d t h B dg r i n J p ne s F lk
. e ,
e e a e a a e o

l r
o Tfl S J xxxvi 1 90 8 p t iii ;
e, Th D o g a n d the C t i n J p ne se
, , . e a a a

Fo l k l o r i h xx xvii 1 90 9
”
-
e, .
, , .

6 S e B H C h m b rla i n Th C l i l P t y f th J p
. e . . a es ,
e ass c a oe r o e a an e e
,
L o n d o n 1 8 8 0 p p 1 4 7 1 56
, , .
—
.

7 The sto ry is i n K
.
j hu M g t i Tal e s A nc i e nt n d on -
a on o a ar
,
a

Mo d rn wri tt n i n t h e l e v nt h c nt ry Thi s b o o k is o n e o f the

”
e ,
e e e e u .

o ld st o f t he ki n d
e d w as fo l l o we d by m ny o the rs
,
an a .

The C b s Tri m p h J p ”
F i y T l S i s No 1 2
’
8 . u u ,
a an e se a r a e er e
,
. .

A n o the r sto ry o f a b d g r is t hat o f K c hi k ac hi Yam a A b dg e r

”
a e a -
. a

c a g ht b
y a wo o d c t t r d v o r d t he m n s w i f A ha re c m e t t he
’
u -
u e e u e a e. a o

assi stan c e o f the d i str sse d w o o d c u t t r an d fi na lly su c c e e d e d i n dro wn

e -
e

i n g t he b d g e r i bid No 5
a , .
,
. .

9 Cf Japa n e se F a ir y Ta le S e r ie s, No 3
“
. . . .

10 . A kin d
t r m ad e o f s a w d sl ipp e ry whe n di lu t d
o f s a ch e -
ee ,
e .

11 He n c e a p ro v rb :
. A st i ng i ng b o n a we e in
p g fa c e
e ee .

m ans a d o u b le nn y n c e n d t ro u b l
e a o a a e.

12 Thi s is t h st o ry o f H i da k a g a wa w ll kno wn t hr u gh its p p u

. e -

,
e o o

l r dr m a t iz t i o n n d t h s rp e nt d n c t h t cc o m p an i s i t
a a a a e e a e a a e .

I 3 T h i s is a n t h r f m o u s st o ry o f K t o S e m o n the warr i o r al so
. o e a a -
a , ,

d ra m at iz d e .

14 A lso c l le d Nanso b o T h e tym l gy o f th i s na m is o bsc u re

. a -
. e o o e ,

b u t 6 5 m e ans a p ri st o r m o nk T he st ry is t o l d i n d i ff r nt l cal i t i s
e . o e e o e .

1 5 Th e Bu dd h i st i d e a is th t t h
. karm a whi ch cau se s o n to b a e ,
e e

c o m e a se rp e nt e sta b l i sh s a f e ll o wshi p w i th o th e r se rp e n ts a n d the re

,
e ,

fo re m ay m ak e p ssib l a l o v e re lat i o n w i th an y o f t h m
o e I n Sp i t e o f e .

his p i o u s inte nt i o ns Nan z o b o wa s t he n i n r a l i ty a b e st -

e a .

16 The l i g hts se e n i n t he dark n i g ht ho v e ring o ve r m rsh la nds

. a -

a r e o ft e n xp laine d a s to rch s l i ght d fo r t he w e d ding o f t wo foxe s

e e e .

I7 J a a n e se F a ir
p .
y Ta l e S e r i e s No
,
6 . .

18 Y O z a ki The Cr ystal o f B u d d ha,

. .
, pp 6 9 8 1 .
-
.

The l e t te r is wri tte n in i m i ta t i o n “o f the b i rds langu ag e ,

’
d

“
19 . an

m ake s p oe ti c allu si o n t o the characte ri sti cs o vari s bi rd

f ou s.

2 0 The n a m e Uso d o r i m a y m e an a lyin g b i rd

”
.
-

, an d th e nam e
m ay ha ve g ive n ri se to t he story .
38 6 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
12 A m attr e ss is o fte n m a d e o f its l e a e s A c c o rd n g t o Pro f e ssor
. v . i
i v
W e n e r o f Ha r a r d U n e rs ty, m attre sse s o f t h s n d w e re e p o rte d iv i i ki x
i
fro m C h na t o C e ntra l A s a a n d fu rt he r w e st, an d h e n c e t he na m e i
be d o r B e tt , a c o rr u p t o n o f t he C hi n e se w o r d bu t, c o rr e sp o n d i n g to i
t h e last syll a l e o f sho bu b '

I 3 C f A n e sa
.
,
Japan e se A r t, C hap te r
. ki I .

14 C l a ra A W a lsh, The Maste r S in g er s o f Ja pan , p 1 0 3

. . Re . .

f e rr n g t o t h s p o e m M ss C E Fu rn e ss o f Vassa r C o l le g e has so m e
i i i . .

i i
th ng nte re st ng t o say She wr tes : i sh o u ld l e t o m e nt o n o n e . i I ik i
p o em e c a u sebt t o u c he s u p o n a p o nt wh c hi h a e Oft e n o se r e d b u t i i I v b v
v v
ha e n e e r se e n re f e rre d t o anywh e r e ha e o f t e n n o t c e d t he m o o n
.
. I v i
i i
l g ht fall n g u p o n a tre e who se l e a e s h a e tu rn e d w th t he a u tu m n v v i
f ro sts Th e re a r e se e ra l n e a r o u r O se r at o r y, a n d as m y w o r t a e s
. v b v k k
m e o u t o f do o rs n t he e e n n g i
ha e l o o e d u p at t he m o o n thro u gh v i I v k
v
t he l e a e s o r se e n t sh n n g fu ll u p o n a t re e i i i
T he e ff e c t is m o re e a u . b
i
t fu l wh e n t he l e a e s a r e ye ll o w t han w h e n the y a r e r e d v Th e n t . i
se e m s l ik
e fa r l an d or e e n so m e t h n
y i g m o re e the re a l than that, f o r v i I
i
c anno t a sso c a te f a r e s w th t h e st lln ess o f t he n ght ii
O fte n it is so i i i .

i
s l e nt t ha t o n e ca n h e a r a l e a f f a ll , t o u c h n g o t he r l e a e s so ftly a s t i v i
b
d ro p s t hro u g h t he ran c he s an d c o m e s t o re st g e n tly o n t he g r o u nd .

J a p a n e se p o e m s o n n atu re se e m t o b e m o re nt m ate , m o re m e lancho ly i i

”
than ou rs .

C H AP T ER I X
1 . Se e p a g e 285 .

2 . Japan e se F a ir y Ta le Se r ie s, No . 25 .

3 F o r the
. d e a an d
p ra ct c e o f d i
e d c at o n , n ap ane se , e ho, se e i i i i J
ki
A n e sa , B u d d hist A r t, C hap te r ; an y w o r p e r f o rm e d w th p o u s in I k i i
i b i v
te nt o n is e l e e d to e ff e c t t he Sp r tu al w e l fa r e o f t he d e c e ase d ii .

4 B H C ha m e r la n, The C l a ssi c a l P o e tr y o f t he Japa n e se , pp

. . . b i .

1 99 ff .

5 C f B H Cha m e rl a n,
. . . W a sau b iyau w e , t he ap ane se Gu l
. b i J
iv art 4 ; L Mo r dwin , vii i i
”
l e r , TASJ G l m p se s o f D re a m lan ds, n
”
, p
.

Chr ysan the m u m , Yo o ha m a, 1 8 8 1— 2 , whe re t he rst t wo c hap te rs o f k fi

W a S é B yoye a re re p ro du c e d
- -
.

6 Fo r t he slan d o f W o m e n C I : The Mytho l o g y o f a ll R a c e s, o ls

. I v .

iii 1 1 7 an d
. ix
1 4 0, a n d re f e r e n ce s the re ; a lso
. A Ma c c u llo ch, The J . .

R e lig i o n o f t he A n c i e n t Ce l ts, Ed n u rgh, 1 9 1 I , p 38 5 i b . .

P P EN D IX A

1 . A p in tr e -
ee is r gard d sin di p n bl i n a r
e e a s e sa e e s e cta
p bl e
g ard e n,
an d o ften a c rane an d t rt i ih b r n z
o p t t
o sery o e or o e a re
p lac e d u n de r i t .
 NO TE S 38 7
2.Y a r e is a j o yo u s e c lam at on
'

x i
t is rep e ate d m u ch m ore fre
. I
qu i
e ntl y n t he o r g nal i i .

3 .S a m e m e ans e ne ra l e v b .

. i
4 The s te o f t he te m p l e o f Hach m an, se e Su pr a, p 2 52 i . .

T h e he r o f th e M nam oto D c ta to r
i i i
5 . .

6 The go d o f M sh m a was re e r e d by t he M na m otos a n d t he

. i i v i
i i
Sa m u ra s n g e n e ral n e t t o Hac h m an x i .

7 C A W a lsh, T’he Maste r Sin g e r s o f Japan , p p 7 1 7 2 Th s is i

-
. . . . .

iv
g e n the re on He arn s author ty, a s a c rad le song n i u m o, b u t t is i Iz i
a son
g a l m ost u n e r sa ll iv
y u se d n ap an i J .

8 Le. . i x i i
atta n d e te r ty n hand wr t ng -
ii .

. i
9 Earn e st tho u ght o r d e s re is c alle d t he r e d he art, a n d a fa o u r v
b v i
a le re sp onse to a lo e l e tt e r is sa d to b e o f fi n e colou rs or we ll
-

i
t ng e d ”
.
 C H I N ESE

I
A LL EN , C F R ,. T a l e s fr.o m t he L a o.C ha , C h in a R e vi e w, 11 i i .

36 4 , iii iv
18, 26 . . .

T D A D
BIO , E O U R , L e Tc he o u L i, ols 1 a n d 2 Par s, 1 8 5 1 -
v . . i .

BR U C E , P , P hil o so phy o f H u m a n Na tu r e , L o n don, 1 9 2 2

J . . .

Chu H si a n d H is Mast e r s, L on do n, 1 92 3 .

A S A L
C R U , P U , L a o Tz e s Ta o Te h Ki n g , C h c ag o , 1 8 98
’
’ - - -
i .

V NNE , E , L e s Mem o ir e s hist o ri u e s d e S e Ma Ts ie n , Pa r s,

HA A S i
’
C .
q
- -

1 8 95— 1 90 5 .

C hin e se R e po sit o r y, 1 8 32 5 1 -
.

D
C O R I ER , H ENR I, B ibli o t he ca Sin i c a ( Se e se c t ons on R e l g on, Sc e nce i i i i
an d A rts, G e n e ra l W o r s a n d L te ratu re , Mo e u rs e t C o u tu m e s) , k i
Par s, i —
8 Su p p l e m e nt, vo l , r ngs th s wor u p to A p r l,
. . v bi i k i
1 92 4 .

C O U L IN G , S , En c yc l o pa e d ia Sin ica, Shangha , 1 9 1 7

. i .

D E G RO O , T J JM , The R e lig io u s Syst e m o f Chin a, 6 ols , L e yde n,

. . . v .

1 8 92 — 1 9 10 .

T he R e lig i o n o f t he Chin e se , Ne w Yor , 1 9 1 0 k .

S
D ENN Y , N B , The F o l h l o r e o f C hin a, L on d o n, 1 8 7 6
. .
-
.

D O R E, H ENR I, R e c he r c he s su r l e s su per stiti o n s e n C hin e ( The re is .

i
an Eng l sh transl at o n o f th s Shangha , i i . i
D OU GLAS , R
K , C o n fu c ia n ism a n d Ta o ism , L o n don, 1 8 7 7
. . .

C hin e se S t o r ie s, Ed n u rgh, 1 8 93 i b .

S
D U BO E , H M A PD
EN C , The D r ag o n , Im ag e a n d D e m o n , L o ndo n,
.

I 886 .

DU H A LD J
E, Hist o r y o f C hin a, Tr R Broo s, ( 3r d
. Lo n . . k
do n , I 7 4 1 .

DK
E I N S, J , R e lig io n in C hina, L o n don, 1 8 7 8
. .

A
F B ER , E , Tao sm , C hin a R e vie w ,
.
”
i 2 31 xiii . .

G S J H
F ER U O N , O N C , I n de x t o Chi n a R e v ie w, Shan gha , 1 9 1 8
”
. i .

O u tlin e s o f C hin e se A r t, C h c ag o , 1 9 1 9 i .

G
F ER U SON , P E ER B , I n d e x t o T J o u r n a l o f t he No r th C hin a B r an c h
.
'

o
f t he R o a l A si a ti c S o c ie t
y
”
y, Shang ha , 1 92 4 i .

F U N G, Y U -
LA
N , C o m par a tive S tu d y o f Life Id e a ls, Shangha , 1 92 5 i .

T
G IL E s, H ER B ER A , B i o g r aphic a l D i c ti o n ar y, Shan gha , 1 8 97
. i .

Chu an g Tz u, L o n don, 1 8 8 9 .

C o n fu ci a n ism a n d Its Riv a ls, Lon don, 1 9 1 5 .

Ge m s o f Chi n e se L ite r a tu r e , L o nd o n, 1 8 8 4 .
392 CHI N E S E MYTH O L O GY
G l o ssar y o f R e fe r e n c e s, Shan g ha , 1 900 i .

R e lig i o n s o f A n c ie n t C hin a, L o n d o n, 1 90 5
S t r a n g e S t o r ie s fr o m a Chi n e se S tu d i o , 2 o ls , L on do n, 1 8 8 0 v . .

L S L
G I E , L I O NE , S ayin g s o f L a o Tz u , L o n d o n, 1 904 .

Ta o ist Te a c hin g s, L o n d o n, 1 9 1 3 .

A K A
H C M N , H , B u dd hism as a R e lig i o n , L o n do n, 1 9 1 0
. .

K
H EN E , F G , W a n g Yan g m in g , C h c a g o , 1 9 1 6
. .
-
i .

HIR T H , F , A n c ie n t H ist o r y o f C hin a, Ne w Yo r , 1 9 1 1

. k .

LL
HO W E , E B , The I n c o n st an c y o f Ma d a m e Chu an g an d o ther
. .

st o r ie s t r a n sl a t e d
fr o m Chin K u Ch i K u a n , Shang ha , 1 92 5
’
i
J H S
O N ON , R F B u d d hist Chin a, L o nd o n, 1 9 13
. .

GS LL
KI N M I , T W , The Ta o T e h K n g, C hin a R e vie w,
.
”
. i xxiv .

7
14 — 1
55, a n d 1 8 5 1 96
—
.

A F
L U ER , B , Jad e , C h c a g o , 1 9 1 2
. i .

LE GG JA S
E , M E , The C hin e se C lassics, translate d, 3 ols , Lon do n, v .

18 6 —
7 76 .

The C hin e se C la ssi c s ( Ch n e se an d En gl sh ) , Ho ng on g, i i k

1 8 6 1—
72 .

The R e lig i o n s o f C hin a, L o n d o n, 1 8 8 0 .

The Te x ts o f C o n fu c ian ism ( Sa c r e d B o o hs o f the E ast se r e s) , i

v . x
4 o ls , O fo rd , I The S hu Ki n g , 2 The Yi K in g , 3, 4 The . . .

L i Ki .

The Te x t s o f Ta o ism ( S a c r e d B o o k s o f t he E ast se r e s) , 2 i

vo ls , O f o r d ;
. 1, 2 x The Tao Te h K in g ; W r i tin g s o f K wan g
‘
.

Z z e , e tc .

G
L I U N G B I N , O u tl in e s o f C hin e se H ist o r y, Shangha , 1 9 14 i .

M C O W N , J , C hin e se F o l k l o r e Tal e s, L o nd o n, 1 9 10
A G A .
-
.

M C EN Z I E , D A , Myt hs o f C hin a a n d Japa n , L o ndo n, 1 92 4

A K . . .

M R TI N , W A P , H an liu P ape r s, L o nd o n , 1 8 90
A . . . .

H a n li n P ape r s ( Se r e s Shan g ha , 1 8 94 i i .

M Y ER , W F C hin e se R e a d e r s an u a l, L o ndo n , 1 9 10 ( R e p r nt )
A S .
’
M . i
A K
P R ER , E H , C hin a a n d R e l ig i o n , L o n d o n, 1 90 5
. . .

SO OT H LL
I , W
E , Thr e e R e li g i o n s o f Chin a, 2 n d c d , L o n do n, 1 92 3
. . . .

W E I, F C , P o li ti c a l P r in c ipl e s o f Me n c iu s, Shan g ha , 1 9 1 6
. . i .

W ERN ER , E T C , Myths an d L e g e n d s o f Chin a, L o n do n , 1 92 2

. . .
'
.

G
W I E E R , L , F o lk l o r e c hin o is m o d e r n e , S e nhs e n , 1 90 7
.
-
i i .

Mo r a l Te n e t s an d Cu st o m s in C hin a, Ho ts e n fu , 1 9 13 -
i -
.

Te x t e s histo r iqu e s, 3 o l s , Pa r s, 1 90 5 v . i .

Ta o ism e , Pa r s, 1 9 1 1— 1 3 i .

L
W Y I E , A , No te s o n C hi n e se L ite r atu r e ( n e w e d t o n ) , Shan gha ,
. ii i
1 90 2 .

T he C hi n e se b k fr oo s om wh ch i rn t
t a sla e d q
uo tati o ns a re m dea a re

me nti no e d i n t h T xt e e an d In d x e .
394 CHI NE S E MYTH O L O GY
Me nc i u s viii 54 7 9 , .
-
.

Mic iu s viii 6 2 3 4
”
, .
—
.

Sa i nts a n d Ma rtyrs ( Ch i ne se ) ,

Su i c i d e xii . 26.

Ta o ism , xii 1 97— 2 0 2

”
. .

PA R K ER , E H . Bl e sse dn e ss ( Chi ne se ) , 11 6 7 2— 5
. . .

R IC H A R D , T , Se c ts
. xi 30 9 1 5 .
-
.

TA K A K U S U , J , Yu an chwang , Fa hi an a n d I tsing ,
.
- - -
x 11 . 8 4 1— 3 .

W A LS H E , W G , A ltar ( C hi n e se ) , i 337 8
. . .
—
.

i
B rth ( Ch n e se ) , 6 4 5— 6 i ii . .

C hast ty i 49 10 —
iii . .

C h n a,
”
i —
54 9 52 iii . .

i
C o m m u n o n w th t he D e a d ( Ch n e se ) , 7 i
2 8 —
32 i iii . .

C o m m u n o n w th D e ty i 75 21 i
—
i iii . .

C o n fu c u s,
”
16— 1 9 i iv . .

C o sm o g o ny a n d C o sm o l o gy ( Ch n e se ) , 1 38 — 4 1 i iv . .

i
C r m e s a n d P u n shm e nts 2 6 9— 7 2 i iv . .

i
D e ath an d D sp osal o f t he D e ad ( C h ne se ) , 4 50 4 i iv . .

Fa te 8
7 3 5
— v . .

Fo rtu n e 9 3
1—
vi . .

Myst c sm ( Ch n e se )
i i 8 7— 9 i ix . .

WU , CH A o CH U ,
-
L aw 8 30— 1 vii . .
 JA P A N E S E

I . A BB R E V A T O NS I I
J rnal f t h R
ou o So c e ty e o ya l As at i i c i .

Mi tt i l ng n d
e u e e r D e u tsc h e n G e se ll sc ha f t f u r Na

t u r u n d VOl k e r k u n d e O stas e ns, ( T Ok yO) i .

Sac re d Bo o s o f t he E ast k .

i
T ransa c t o ns o f t he A s at c So c e ty o f a p an ( Yo o i i i J k
ham a )
TCH R Transac t i ons o f t he Inte rna t i onal C o ng re ss o f t he
Hi sto ry o f R e l i g i o ns .

Transac ti ons o f th e J ap an Soc i e ty, L ondo n .

II . TE X T S

I . SH I N To

A n c ie n t Japan e se R itu a ls Tr by Sir E Sa to w , TA SI , ols

.
, , . . v . vii ix
I 8 9, 1 8 8 I , an d c o nt nu e d by K Fl o re n , ih , v o l x x
7 i ,
1 8 99 . z . . vii .

D a s Shin t o G e he t d er g r o sse n R e in ig u n g
.
H W e p e rt, MD GO , vo l . . i .

vi, 1 8 97 .

Japan e se Te x ts, P ri m it iv e a n d Me di e va l E d w th ntrod , Note s, . . i I .

an d Gl o ssar e s b i
y F V D c ns, C B 2 .o ls O x fo rd , 1 90 6
. i ki . . v . .

K o ii hi , o r R e c o r ds o f A n c i e n t Ma tt e r s T r by B H C ham e rla n
- -
. . . . b i .

Su p p l e m e nt to vo l , TAS I 1 8 8 3 . x
n d e by N W a l t e r a n d . I x .

A L l o yd , i h , 1 90 6
. . .

Niho n g i : Chr o n ic l e s o f Japan t o A D 6 9 7 T r by W G A sto n . . . . . . .

Su p p l e m e nt i to TJ SL 2 o ls L o nd o n , 1 8 96 . v . .

Niho n g i o d e r Japan isc he A n n a le n ( T e l ) Ube rse t z t u n d e r k la rt . i iii

v o n K Fl o re n . Su pp t o o ls z . an d ,
M D GO 1 8 9 7
2 —
. Re v . v vi .

vise d c d , 1 90 3 . .

2 . DD H IST
BU

Bu d d hist Ma ha ya n a Te x ts 2 vo l 1 The B u d d ha K a ri ta
.
p arts i n 1 . .
-

/
o f A sva ho sha t r E B C o w e l l
g ,
2 The S u hhdv at i Vyuha , The
. . . . .
-

Vag r a hhhe d ihd, The Br ag i d, P dr am i td H r id a ya—S iitr a, tr F Ma x -

. .

Mii l le r The A m itayu r D hydn a S utr a, t r J Ta k ak u su ( SBE

.
‘ ‘
- -
. . .

i
vo l 4 9 .

The Sa dd har n a P u n d ar i ha, o r t he L o tu s o f t he Tr u e L aw , tr H Ke rn . . .

( SBE vo l .
396 JAPA NE S E MYTH O L O GY

III . G E NE R A L W O R KS
A NE S AKI M , .
, B u dd hist A r t in R e la t io n to B u d d hist Id e al s . Bo sto n,
1 9 15 .

Ni c hir e n , The B u ddhist P r o phe t . C am b ri dg ( U e . S .

1 9 16 .

R e lig i o u s H ist o r y o f Japan . T Ok yO, 1 8 97 .

Bu ddh st n u e nc e i I fl u
po n th e J a
p a n e se , TCH R ( O x fo r d,

i . 1 54 -

7 .

Hé n e n , the Pi e t i st Sa i nt o f J ap an e se Bu ddhi sm , ibid , i . .

12 2 8 —
.

A ST O N , W G , H ist o r y o f Japa n e se L i te r a tu re
. . L on do n, 1 8 99 . .

S hin t o : The W a y o f t he G o d s ih , 1 90 5 . . .

To ri wa , its D e riva t i o n , TASI xxvii , 1 8 99

-
.

BA L E T , L , Et u d e s su r l a B o u d d hism e j a po n a is ( Me la n g e s j apo n ais,

’

. .

nr 1 8 , 2 1,
. Tokyo, 1 90 6 .

BR U NA S D J p i h Ma h
,
.
, a an sc e
'

rc en u n d S ag e n L e p g, . i zi 1 8 8 5.
BR I NKL E Y F J p d C hi
, a an a n na
,
The ir H ist o r y, A r ts, an d L iter a tu r e .

12 v l L n d n 1 90 3 4
o s . o o ,
-
.

C H A M B ER L A I N B H J p P o e tr y L ondon, 1 9 1 I
, . .
,
a a n e se . .

The C lassic a l P o e tr y o f the Japa n e se i h , I 8 8 O . . .

The L an g u ag e , Mytho l o gy, a n d G e o g r aphi c a l N o m e n c la tu r e

o
f Ja pa n , vie w e d in 5t he L ig ht o f A in o S tu di e s Ték yO, 1 8 8 7 . .

Thin g s Japan e se , L on do n, 1 90 5 .

A B LA
C H M ER IN, B H , N M ON , W B , Japan ( Mu rray s Hand
.
9
.
’
A D AS . .

b k
oo s
) i h , I 9 13 . . .

L T
C E M EN , E W , Japan e se Fl o r a l C al e n d ar
. . C h c ag o , 1 905 ‘
. i .

A H a n d ho o h o f Mo d e r n Ja pa n L o n don, 1 904 . .

p J
a an e se C a l e n d a r,
”
TAS I ,
1 90 2 xxx .

a an e se Me d c al Fo l k l o re ,
J i xxxv
”
p ih , ,
1 90
7
-
. .

BB L D
C O O , G A , R e l ig i o n in Ja pa n , L o n d o n , 1 8 94
. . .

L
F OREN Z , K , D e r S hin t o ism u s . In D ie K u lt u r d e r Ge g e n war t d i e .
’
.

O r ie n ta lisc he n R e lig i o n e n
2
Be rl n a n d L e p g , 1 9 1 3 . i i zi .

D ie hist o r isc he n Qu e l l e n d e r S hin t o Re lig i o n A u s de m A lt -

.

j p
a u n d Chin
. ii he r se t z t u n d e r hliir t G O t t in g e n u n d L e p g ,
. . i zi
19 19 .

D i e Ja pa n e r I
n L e hr bu c h d e r R e lig i o n sg e sc hic hte he g r u n d e t
.

v o n Cha n t e i e d e l a S a u ssa ye ,
p 2 6 2— 4 2 2 T ii b i n e n , 1 92 5
g i . . .

G e sc hi c hte d e r Ja pan i sc he n L it t e r a tu r L e p g , 1 90 6 . i zi .

Japan isc he Mytho l o g ie Niho n g i, Z e i ta lt e r d e r G o tter . .

N e hst E r g ii n zu n g e n au s a n d e rn a l t e n Qu e ll e n we r k e n T OkyO, .

sD
I OI .

GR E E ,
. C .
,
R e m m o n Kyék wa i, TASI xxix ,
1 90 1 .
398 JAPA NE S E MYTH OL O GY
Le s a n c i e ns ri t u
d u Sh nto c o ns d ér és c om m e form u l e s e s l i i
i
m a g qu e s, TCH R ( O fo rd ,
”
1 6 5— 1 8 1 x i . .

AT
S O W , S IR E , Th e R e a l o f Pu re Sh nto,
.
”
a
pp to TA SI 18 75 viv i . iii . .

T he Sh nto Te m p l e s o f Ise , ibid ,

”
i
1 8 74 . ii . .

O the r art c l e s n TA SI i
Se e also u n d e r Se c t o n i . i II .

LL
SC H I ER , E , S hin t o , d ie Vo lk sr e lig i o n Ja pa n s
. Be rl n Sc ho ne e rg ,
‘

. i -
b
I
911 .

SC H U R H A M M E R , G , S hin t o , d e r W e g d e r G otte r in Japa n : D er S hin

’ °

t o i sm u s n a c h d e n g e d r u c k t e n u n d u n g e d r u c k t e n B e r i c hte n d e r

j a pan isc he n J e su ite n m issi o n ar e d e s 1 6 a nd I 7 Jahr hu n de r ts . . .

Bo nn a n d L e p g , 1 92 3 i zi .

H A
SC W R T Z , W L , T he G re at Shr ne o f Idz u m o , Som e Not e s on
. i
Sh n t o , An c e nt an d Mo d e rn, TA S J x l i, 1 9 1 3
i i
VI S ER , M W E , S hin t o , d e g o d sd ie n st v a n Japan L e de n
S .

A rt c l e s o n i Th e T e n g u ,
.

”
D
“
The F o x an d t he Ba dg e r n
“ . i .

i
J
a a n e se F o l k l o re ,
p
’
T he D o g a n d t he C a t n ap an e se Fo l
-
i J k
”
l o re , TAS J x , 1 9 0 8 —
9 xx vi xxxvii -
.

W S , C A , The Ma st e r Sin g e r s o f apan ( Wisd o m o f t he E ast

AL H . . J
i
se r e s) L o n d o n, 1 9 10
. .

W E N C K STE R N , F V O N , B i bli o g r aphy o f the apan e se Em pir e 2 o ls

. J . v .

L o n d o n a n d Tok yo, 1 8 95— 1 90 7 .

HT H
W I E ORN , A L , W o n d e r Tale s o f O ld Japan . . .

IV . I
P R NC PA L A RT C L E S O N I I J A PA NESE REL I GI O N
I N T HE E NC Y C L O PE D A I O F REL I G I O N A ND
I
ET H C S ( V O L S I— X ) . II
A NE SA K I M ,
A san g a.
, 62 ; ii . .

A sva gho sa ,
”
1 59— 1 6 0 ii . .

D hyana, ”
7 0 2 —
4 iv . .

D o c e t sm ( Bu ddh st ) , i i iv 8 35— 4 0
. .

E t h c s a n d Mo ral ty
i i v .
4 4 7 4 55 .

Hym ns ( Jap ane se ) vi i 4 6 , .

L fe i a n d D e a th
( Jap an e se ) , viii .
37 9
— .

Mi ssi o ns viii 7 00 5 .
—
.

Ph i l p hy ( J p n s ) ix 8 6 9 7 3
o so a a e e .
—
.

P i l gri m g ( J p n ) x 27 8 a e a a e se , .
— .

Pr y r a x 16 6 7 0
e .
—
.

S M n u n, d St rs ( J p n ) 88oo ,
an a a a e se , x 11 . .

Tr nsm i grati n a xii 4 2 9 30 o .

-
.

V w ( B ddhi st ) xii 6 4 4 6 —

“
o s u , . .

A R M STR O N G R C Ni n m i ya S t k
, .ix 37 4 5 .
,
o on o u , .
—
.

A S H I DA K ,
J p n vii 4 8 1 4 8 9
.
,
a a , .
—
.
 BIBLI O GR AP HY 399
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,
A ban d nm nt o e an d E x p o su re ( J ap ane se ) , 1
.
7 .

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1 1 0— 1 1 i . .

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i
C r m e s a n d P u n shm e n ts ( ap ane se ) , 2 8 5— 8 i J iv . .

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71 xi .

AT H L
B C E OR , J , A nu s,
”
2 39— 2 52
. i i . .

LA K A
B C M N, W S R o sar e s,
”
8 51 2
. . i x .
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.

L T
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. .1 14 — 1 1 7 J iii . .

CO U R N , M ,
A T Ko re a , v ii 7 5 5— 8
”
. . .

DA VI Ds, T W R YS, . Se c ts ( Bu ddh st ) ,

. 0H
3 7 9
—
i xi . .

D
G E EN , A S , Pr e st, Pr e stho o d ( Bu d d h st ) ,
. . i
2 8 8 — 90 i i x . .

A S i i
G R Y, L O U I H , F ct on ( Pr m t e , O ri e ntal, a n d G rac c o R o m an ) ,
. i i iv -

vi 5 6 .
—
.

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( Jap n s ) v
,
Fam ly i a e e , .
74 0— 1.

G d o vi 2 94 5 .
—
.

Im ag s d Id ls ( J p an s e an o a e e an d Kore an ) , vii . 14 6— 8 .

N m a ix 1 6 7es .
—
8 .

P rifi ti n
u x ca o .
4 95 6
—
.

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—
7 .

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4 51 a

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4 97
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D a u tsu , ”
3 8ib
8 —
91 iv . .

D ram a 8 8 8 — 8 95 iv . .

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A LL H J . . b J ii .
7 00
-

7 02 .

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i i
R e l g o u s O r d e rs ( ap ane se ) , 7 18 J x . .

T e m p l e s, ”
24 4 xii . .

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A KA .
4 8 —
51 i J ix . .

A A A
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i J v ii . .

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. i Jap an s ) e e ,

i 4 55 4 5 7
ii
A sc e t c sm ( ap an e se ) , 11 96— 7 J . .

C o m m u n on w th D e ty ( ap ane se ) , i 7 74 5 i i J iii .
-
.

C o sm o g o ny a n d C o sm o l o g y ( a p an e se ) , 16 2 6 J iv .
-
.

ivi
D nat o n ( ap ane se ) i
8 0 1— 6 J iv .

He ro e s a n d He ro g o ds ( ap ane se ) , -
J
i i
Ho sp tal t y ( ap ane se an d Ko re an ) , J
4 00 JAPANE S E MYTH O L O GY
Hu m a n Sac rifi c e ( J ap ane se an d Ko re an ) ,

Mag i c ( J a p a ne se ) viii 2 96 300

, .
—
.

Na t u re ( J ap an e se ) ix 2 33 4 0
, .
—
.

O ld A g e ix 4 7 4 — 5 . .

Po sse ssi o n ( J ap an e se ) , x 1 3 1— 3 . .

Pr a ye r x 1 8 9— 9 1 . .

Sa c rifi c e xi 2 1— 4 . .

Sa i nts a n d Martyrs ( J ap ane se ) , xi 6 1— 2 . .

S in ( Ja p an e se ) , xi 56 6 7 .
-
.

W o rshi p ( Ja p a ne se ) , xii 8 0 2 — 4 . .

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”
. . . .

TA C H IBA N A , Eth i c s an d Mo ra l i t y ( J a p ane se ) , 8

49 5
— 01 .

D hyana , iv 7 0 2 — 4
”
TA K A K U S U , J , . . .

Kwan Y i n, vii 7 6 3
”
-
.

W OG IH AR A , U , Va su ban dhu , X 11 595 6

. .
-
.
 IN D EX
To C HI NESE TERMS

Ch ang a 4 1 4 2
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An -
Ch 1 , , .

Ch ang a n E
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A n Ti fl 5 , I88 . 80 .

Ao -
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Ch a 61 . C hao Y ii n fl $2 1 7 5 I 7 9 , , .

C han Ho u Ch ao c hou
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C han K u o Ch ao Y ang Mén

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Chan Y ao K ua i Bf fl E , 12 3 .

Ch an t i fang fl Ch é Ch i S han
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Chan g E 4 6 , . Ch én E , 1 34 .

C hang Ch io E E fi 17 4 , . Chén Jén E A , 108 , 1 13 .

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, , . C hén Tsung Eg , 7 0, 7 1 ,
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C han g H si e n 3
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10 7 . Ch én g T
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Chan g Y a 3E IE3 Ch i
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Chang Y il an hsi ao E iii 2 Ch i

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Ch 1 it , 56 . Ch i n K uanK u Ch i
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C h i lin
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Ch i a Ch i a E13 EP 138 , . Ch i n Ch iu g g E 7 8
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Ch i a I E? Z 138 » .

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Ch i ang K 0 {1: E 16 3 , . Ch i n K u e i g
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Ch i h Nii $3 i t 97 I 32 I 6 2 , , ,
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Han dynasty 1% $3 , 10 , 1 9 , 2 o , Hs i a E 35 6 6 7 6 , , , .

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Han Ch i $ 3 E 106
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Han Hs i ang 5%# 3 12 6 , , Hs i ang Chun iffl g 8 6 8 8 90 , , , .

Han L i Ch i h 72g E 53 2 5 -
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Hao A n g Hs i e n Hua a E $]55
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Hao T i e n Y Huang S hang Ti Hs i ang Yang E lg 95

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Hs i ng S hé fi ‘
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Hsuan yang fi -
1 13 .
Hu i Tsung €411 59 , 95 , 135,

Hsuan Yu an Huang Ti 194 .

Hung chow $11 m 1 13 - :

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Hsu e h S h an S i 23 .
Hung L i e h Chuan 3% (a 54 , .

Hsun T u E } z I
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Hung W u # 3 fi 6 8 99 1 1 7 , , , .

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H u (hous e ) )3 74 , 80 .

H u ( t i ger ) 1 03 . IYin 9 93‘

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Hu Ch i ng -
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Hu k 16 T sung 4:
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Hu K ung if: 131 , 1 32 .

J Ch i a
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4 08 I N DEX

Ju i 27 . K u e i N iu g
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K uo T 114 55 at 96 97 17 9
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4m I N D EX

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L u H sfi E 16 3
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L u S hén g E g 1 15 , . Mi ng Huang E33 12 5 I 34 , .

L u Sh i h 1% g 14 2 , . Mi ng T i 134 I69 I 88 , , .

L u FE 6 1 , . M u K ung 7k 1 14 1 16 , .

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M an I g i 17 6 , . Nu Y i ng j : i 88 , .

M ao 34 . N ung Ch i h k ao 1% 5g 12; -

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M e i $132 105 , . 0 P r i nc e f 51
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M e ng R i er 3% W 2 9 4 3 v , , . Pa H e n A 1 18
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M e ng T sung m ! 16 5 . Pa Kua A 136 I 4 I .

Mi l f0 W $5 194
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Mi ao K u S h é fl 16 8 . Pa T ii A 14 3 14 9
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Mi n D u k e o f [%
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 IN D E X 4 11

P ai T ang E
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P ao y u e h g B 59
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P e ng la i g fi I I 5
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P é g Y u l i n i; 13 fi
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Pi $ 4 6 4 7 , .
S an Pao E , 14 .

P i Chung Shu i f P P S an S h én g 33 g , 1 96 .

P i K an fig 1 4 0 : 3
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P i e n Ch i # 3? fi 190 ,
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P 6 Y fi K uan E1 fi 23n , , I 35 .

P o y ang Lak e 33 l%
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P u T ao 1
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4 12 IN D E X

Shang T i J: 2 1. 4 8 , 4 9 , so , Shu Y u £52 a 7 8 105 , , .

58 , 59 , L35 Shuh I Ch i 52E5% 33 58 '

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S h é Ch i ii i: 6 1 62 , . Shu i Kung 71: E 106 , .

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Sh i h Hu T fi T3 $
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4 14 I N DEX

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T i e n L i 3{ E 2 3
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T i e n lung 36 g 1 13
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T sao 74 7 6 7 7 : : T un g Chow Li e h K uo Ch i h
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T sao P 93; 1B 7 7 0 , . T un g Chu n i g , 90 , 1 17 .

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T ung Hu a ng T a i ’
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W an g Q 4 2 6 1 , ,
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W ang A n sh i h I 25 106 -
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W ang Ch j o I 58 ln -
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Wang Hs i ang 33 fi 16 3 W u t a i i E 7 2 194

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4 16 I N D EX

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Yang Hs i ang 1% fi 16 4 , . Yu 27, 36 , 37 . 38 . 4 4 . 4 7 . 100.

Ya ng I g I 36 . Yu 61 .

Yang K u e i fe i a fi i f} 96 -
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Yao 2 0 33 35 37 38 4 7 . , . . . . 66. Yu Ch i ng EE Fifi 1 10

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Yu Hsu Kung 3 fl 3 '

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Ya o Ch i h 1 17
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Ya o Hs i ang i t fig 14 4 , . Y u Le i E 7 8 105 . » , .

Ye h Fa hs i fi IE 134
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Yeh Fa sh a n fl 5% i 12 5 134
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Ye n Li ang E E 95 ,
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Ye n Sh i h k n gfi fiifi fi 14 0 -

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Y e n T 131 $
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Yin 55 56 136 14 2 14 4 , , , , I42 .

Y i n Fu K i n g [5% fl 17 , .
Y ii a n Ku e i i f; I OO .

Y i n Hung fl file 6 6 , .
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Y i n I {Q I 36 .
Yuan S h i h T i e n T sun ’

Y i ng (e agl e ) 3EE 8 0 , , 1 1 1.

Y i ng chou ia UH 1 15
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Yo Fe i 6 6 95 97 I 8 O , , , , Yun ch i 2 fi 2 9
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Yo W ang f 6 6 105 106 , , , . Yun Chung Chun g; Ff £ 3 ? 88 .

Y o y a ng
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Y u c h ao 7E g 2 6 Yung ch e ng I? 132 2 6
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Y u W ang SE 16 6 16 7 , , . Yung Lo ije 7 2 155 , .